


Pandora's Pain

by karmacanary



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Fluff, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Smut, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:40:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 64,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3369875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmacanary/pseuds/karmacanary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pandora arrives in Storybrooke, looking for her magical box and sending every person in town back to a troubling time in their life. Can they all fight through the misery? And can Emma and Killian find each other, and save the people of Storybrooke?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Remembered Pain

"You really think you're ready to sail on your own?" Emma asked, cutting into her lasagna.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Regina agreed. "How many sailing lessons have you had?"

"Enough," Henry said, rolling his eyes. "And it's not like I'll be alone," he grumbled. "Killian's going to be there. We've borrowed this boat lots of times."

"But you're sailing at night!" Regina pointed out.

"The lad knows what he's doing," Killian reassured them both. "I'd hardly let him have control of the wheel if he didn't." He shared a look with Henry, who nodded gratefully. "And we're sailing at sunset," he added. "I think it'll be quite romantic." His gaze shifted to Emma, and she bit back a smile as he lifted a brow.

"Sailing with a kid, here," Emma cautioned, taking a sip of her wine.

"I'm referring to the general romance of the open sea at sunset, love," he replied. "What were you thinking?" His face was the picture of innocence.

Henry rolled his eyes again, but wisely said nothing because he didn't want to jeopardize his outing.

Emma pushed her plate away. "Well, I can't eat another bite without capsizing the boat, so I guess we'd better get going." She looked over at Regina. "Sure you don't want to come along?"

"No," Regina shook her head. "Your mother has asked for my help in reviewing some infrastructure projects this evening."

"Let me guess...with a baby under one arm?" Emma asked.

Regina waved a hand. "We're dealing in dwarf management. If you can deal with that, you can deal with anything. We'll get it done."

"Maybe I could take you out sailing tomorrow," Henry said to Regina, as they rose from the table.

"Maybe," she agreed, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I'm free most of the day, if we can get the dwarves on board tonight. Shall we try for tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'd like that."

"Me, too," Regina smiled, hugging Henry tightly. She glanced over his head at Killian. "Keep him safe."

"You've nothing to worry about," Killian reassured. "Henry's a dab hand at all of it. He was born with the sea in his blood."

###

Killian was right, Emma thought to herself. Henry handled the wheel like he was born with one in his hand.

She reached up to pull a piece of flyaway hair out of her eyes, but Killian beat her to it, curling the strand around his finger and tucking it gently behind her ear. She smiled up at him, leaning back into him slightly as she looked out at the water from her place at the bow. He slid his arm around her middle, and she tried very hard to ignore the casual way his thumb was stroking her belly through the cotton of her tee shirt.

"Better zip that jacket up," he murmured low in her ear. "Once the sun is all the way down, it gets chilly on the water."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "What? You're not going to offer to keep me warm? You're slipping."

"I'd be happy to keep you warm love," he grinned. "I'm still remarkably hot-blooded. But there is a child aboard so I've chosen to remain more...circumspect."

"Is that so?"

He kissed her forehead, and she could feel his smile against her as he did.

They stood in silence for several minutes, just watching the sun sink into the sea. Killian had been right about that, too - it was incredibly romantic. She sighed, lifting her head from where she'd leaned it back against his chest.

"Why the long sigh, Swan?" he asked. "You're not turning pensive on me, are you?"

"Maybe a little bit," she confessed. "Just thinking about what life must be like - looking at this every day."

"And now you know why the sea is any sailor's first love," he replied. "I suppose his ship is his second."

 _And you gave up your ship for me_ , she thought. A glance over her shoulder at his face said he was probably thinking the same thing.

"It's all right, Swan," he said with a half-smile. "I don't regret that trade."

The brightness in his eyes was making her stomach tense, and his hand slowed on her stomach. She drew in a long, somewhat shaky breath and looked away, pulling out of his arms to face him, with her back against the rail.

"You know all about my life before," she said. "I only know bits and pieces about you."

He raised his brows. "Maybe it's better that way."

"Maybe I want to know more."

Her eyes held his and this time, he was the one feeling it in his gut. He had a sixth sense about women, and when a woman said she wanted to talk, it usually meant trouble. But this was Emma. It was only natural that they learn more about each other, as they spent more time together. He wanted to know everything about her.

He just wasn't so sure she wanted to hear everything about him. He swallowed hard.

"What do you want to know?" He tried to keep his tone light, in the hope that she would follow suit and ask him something of little import. He should have known better with the likes of Emma Swan.

"Can you tell me about Milah?" she asked. At the obvious discomfort on his face, she added. "You know all about Neal - even more than I knew. I just...feel like it'll help me. Know you better, I mean."

He nodded reluctantly, setting his forearms down on the rail and leaning into them as he turned the question over in his mind.

"There's not much to tell, really. You know she was once married to Rumplestiltskin -"

"Yeah, I know all that," she said, gesturing him to move along. "Neal told me all the dirt."

Killian raised a brow. "Really?"

She gave him an apologetic grimace. "He was warning me away from you," she explained. "That was early on. He didn't feel that way at...the end," she finished uncomfortably.

"Nevermind," she said suddenly. "You don't need to tell me anything. I'm sorry."

He reached out, touching her arm. "No, it's all right." His eyes softened. "It's hard to talk about because I lost her. Just as you lost Neal."

She looked over at him. "So, what was she like?"

He shook his head. "She wasn't you, Swan. That's all you really need to know."

"I don't know if that's good or bad," she answered. "You loved her for centuries."

Killian's hand slid up, and his thumb brushed her chin, tracing the line of her jaw.

"And you think that's it for me?" he asked huskily. "You underestimate me, love."

Emma looked up at him, spellbound by the way he'd said those words, and the moonlight reflecting off the lines of that perfect face. The breeze ruffled his hair just so, making him nearly impossibly handsome.

"You really are right out of a fairy tale, you know that?" she murmured. "I have a hard time believing you're real sometimes."

"I'm more than happy to prove that once we make land," he offered, stepping closer into her with a devilish grin.

"There it is," she smirked.

"There it is," he repeated. "I'll keep making the offer until it's accepted. And it will be, eventually. I'm bloody irresistible you know."

She gave him a look that said she wasn't going there, and turned back to look out over the water.

"So, I've been thinking..." she said, deliberately changing the subject. "How about a job?"

He looked taken aback. "A job?"

"Well you can't just be the town rogue, you know."

"And why not?" he pulled out his flask. "It's not like anyone else can handle the job."

She took the flask out of his hand. "I was thinking that if you had a job that paid a wage, you could afford to buy another ship."

"A wage?" He made a face. "Work for a wage?"

"I'm not going to let you pillage and plunder the town," she deadpanned. "Or steal a boat. So you'll have to do it the honest way. With a job." She took a drink from the flask, then handed it back to him.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked warily.

Emma leaned back with her elbows on the rail. "I could use a deputy."

"Isn't that your father's job?"

"No. He's sort of...co-sheriff. I think. We never really gave him a title."

Killian's eyes narrowed. "And who do I work for? Him or you?"

"Does it really matter? You'd be a public servant," she said, turning back to look out over the water. "It's just a title -" Emma broke off suddenly, and Killian turned to look at what had arrested her.

"What the...?" she mumbled.

She leaned out, squinting her eyes as she stared back toward the coast. The sky over Storybrooke was glowing a strange orange-red, forming a perfect dome over the town.

"Mom!" Henry called out from the wheel.

"We see it!" She called back. "Killian?"

Killian shook his head. "I've no idea what it means, Swan, but strange phenomena rarely mean good news in Storybrooke."

###

"What's going on?" Snow asked, standing in front of the mayor's office with Regina.

Regina stared at the sky with growing alarm. "Whatever it is," she said, "It's magic. I can feel it. And it's not...good."

"Dark magic?" Snow pulled Neal in closer.

"I think so."

David's truck pulled up a moment later. "Get in," he said, climbing out and then holding the door for Snow.

"You want me to drive?" she asked.

"I want you to take the baby and go home." David said. "Regina and I will take her car to the town line and try to figure out what this is."

"We will?" Regina raised her brows.

"You want to wait till whatever it is comes to us?" he asked.

"No. Of course not." Regina dug her car keys out of her coat pocket, and walked toward her car. She stopped, turning back to David. "Is Emma back yet? With Henry?"

"I haven't heard from her," David said. "I just tried her a moment ago but whatever this is, it's blocking all cell reception. I couldn't even get a signal."

He reached out, pulling Snow and Neal into his arms.

"Get out of here," he said. "Take Neal somewhere safe. I'll call you when we know what's going on."

"Be careful," Snow said, kissing him quickly, her worried eyes glancing up at the sky once again as she snapped Neal into his car seat.

"David!" Regina called out, gunning the engine. He ran for the car, sliding in and closing the door. His face turned toward the window as he watched his wife and baby drive away.

###

The woman stood at the edge of town, her fingertips touching the barrier.

At last. It was here. She knew it was. The barrier could not conceal it from her. Nothing could conceal it from her.

She closed her eyes, listening.

She could hear them, of course. All their troubles. All their pain. All the sacrifices and unrequited loves, all the tears and the sadness and the anger that defined them. Their echoes rang like a deafening cacophony, surrounding her, whirling about her as she raised her arms, pulling it all into her and sending it out, flinging it against the barrier, battering it until it ate its way through.

A swirling hole appeared in the barrier, and the woman stepped through, as the pain and misery engulfed her, streaming through the hole and fanning out, lighting up the sky a vivid, burning orange-red, raining anguish and suffering down upon them all.

Emma, Killian and Henry stepped off the gangplank and onto the dock just as the world went black.


	2. Back To A Place Of Sadness

Emma opened her eyes with a start, not entirely sure what had just happened. She'd stepped off the gangplank onto the dock and then...

Nothing. She had no recollection of the passing of time, which must have happened because here she was, lying on a bed, staring at a blank wall. Where the hell was she? The hospital?

She began to turn over, but started violently when she got prodded hard in the back.

"Swan!"

She flipped over and stared up at the tall man with the mustache in confusion.

"What?" she answered.

"What?" he mimicked. "I'll tell you what. We announced a pop inspection and you don't get to sleep through that. On your feet and out of your bunk!"

Emma rolled slowly into a sitting position, and her jaw dropped open as she surveyed her surroundings. She recognized the gray walls, the steel-framed bunks, the smell that only smelled like this place.

ASPC.

The Arizona State Prison Complex in Phoenix, Flamenco Unit, Block 2.

What. The. Hell.

"Swan!" The guard barked again. "You better be shittin' water or barfing up breakfast! What are you doing in bed?"

"I - I'm sorry," she stammered. "I overslept." She got unsteadily to her feet, glancing down at her plain, beige prison scrubs. She stepped outside her cell so the guard could finish his job, her eyes scanning the line of women along the block as they all stood waiting.

How in the hell did she get here? Her mind searched frantically for an explanation, any explanation. She couldn't be here. She'd done her time, years ago. Wait - time! Had she been sent back in time?

"Hey," she whispered to the woman standing next to her. "What date is it?"

"What?" The woman looked at her like she was nuts.

"Today's date," Emma whispered furiously. "What is it?"

"Put a sock in it, Swan!" The guard called out. "Don't know what you're jawing about, but until I'm done in here, you zip it!"

Emma bit her lip in frustration, looking around again. There it was - a calendar on the wall. And the date on the calendar said...

She squinted staring hard.

"Something interesting over there, Swan?" The guard asked, stepping in front of her. "You want to explain these?" He held up a napkin-wrapped bundle. "You know you can't keep these."

He unwrapped the bundle, showing a pile of limp, cold french fries.

"Those are my fries," she said incredulously. "I used to keep fries in my -"

"In the top shelf of your locker," he finished. "You know the rules - no unwrapped perishables in the cell. See Sanchez for work detail."

"Right. Sanchez." Emma nodded. "Sorry."

The guard tossed the napkin in the trash, then motioned to the other guard near the door and they exited the cell block, leaving the women behind to re-tidy their bunks and put away things they'd pulled out.

"I told you they'd smell the fries," the woman next to her said. "You can't hide shit like that."

"Yeah. I guess not," Emma said, still in a little bit of a daze. She turned her head to look at the calendar again, and her eyes widened, her body locking up and freezing her in place as she read.

The date was current. She was in prison, it was today, and she didn't know why. Or how.

"Swan!" The other guard peeked her head in the door. "Work detail's out here - we've got a whole lot of weeds to pull today!"

Emma turned toward the door, making her feet move forward, with her eyes still looking back at the calendar.

###

Regina reached for the parking brake, and found herself clutching a wineglass instead.

"Here you are, my dear," Marco said. "I trust you found the room to your liking?"

"What?" Regina whipped her head around, looking at the comfortable living room she was now sitting in. "Marco - what's going on here?" She set the wine glass down.

"You don't like it?" he asked. "I want you to be comfortable here, Regina. You are welcome to redecorate in any way you'd like. Money is no object."

Regina stood up. "What the hell is going on!"

"Calm down," Marco said, placatingly. "I know it isn't exactly what a younger woman like you imagined for her life, but I need someone with a good heart...for my boy."

Regina raised a brow. "Pinocchio?" Regina asked warily. This entire scenario was getting more and more bizarre.

Marco nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. And any day now, I'm going to find him. I will never give up," he promised.

"You...don't know where Pinocchio is?"

"I told you this," he reminded. "We won't always be just the two of us. One day, when I am reunited with my son, we will be a family."

Regina looked around the house again. "Marco, I don't know what's going on here, but you're not yourself. And I don't even know how I got here. And why don't you know me?"

Marco looked confused. "Of course I know you, Regina. We are newly wed, after all..."

 _"Newlyweds_?" Regina said, shaking her head. "This makes no sense." She clenched her hands into fists. "I'm getting out of here. This smells like magic, and I'm going to find out what's going on." She strode angrily past Marco, down the hallway to the front door, and grasped the doorknob. It may as well have been sealed with concrete. The door was obviously unlocked, but immovable all the same. No amount of tugging would get it open.

Likewise, the back door. And every window in the house. Marco watched her curiously, as though he were indulging a strange pastime of hers. Finally, he gave a chuckle, grabbed his hat and walked out the front door, as though it were the easiest thing in the world. Regina rushed down the hallway behind him, but the door slammed shut before her eyes, locking her in once more.

###

David stepped out of the car, and the world spun with disorienting speed around him. He staggered back, burying his face in his hands until the worst of the vertigo passed. And when he opened his eyes again, he had no idea where he was.

Or _who_ he was.

###

Henry blinked, then blinked again.

He was in the middle of Granny's and Ruby was pushing him out of the way gently.

"Henry, I need to get past," she said, balancing plates in each hand.

"Oh...uh...sure." He stepped out of the way as Ruby leaned over, placing the plates on the table.

"Bend over a little further, why don't you," Granny called out from behind the counter. "The people at the bar can only see part of your crotch!"

Ruby straightened up. "Well, it beats a plateful of your dried-up lasagna!" she shouted back. "And my shift is over, anyway." She yanked off her apron, throwing it across the counter as she slammed out the door.

"I'm locking the door at midnight!' Granny yelled after her, before swiping the apron off the counter and pushing through the doors into the back room.

"Hey!" called out a very drunken Leroy from the counter. "What about my refill?" He slammed his empty beer mug down, then pushed off the bar stool, staggering slightly. He gave Henry a disgruntled look.

"What are you lookin' at, kid?"

Henry shook his head, completely confused. "How am I here? I shouldn't be here."

"You're tellin' me," Leroy said. "Don't you have a bedtime or something?"

"W-Where's my mom?" Henry asked. "And Killian?"

Leroy gave Henry an odd look, then rolled his eyes and nudged Archie, who was sitting next to him at the bar. "The kid must've sneaked a beer or two," Leroy said.

Archie turned on his stool. "Henry!" he admonished. "Is what Leroy says true?"

"What?" Henry waved his hands. "What is going on here? Why is Granny fighting with Ruby?"

Archie pushed off the stool and stood. "Maybe I should walk you home, Henry," he suggested. "You don't have anyone picking you up, do you?"

"I don't know where my mom is," Henry replied. Archie's eyes met Leroy's and they shared a look.

"Henry," Archie said gently. "You need to stop this now. Nothing good can come of it." He grabbed his umbrella off the counter and gestured toward the door. "Now, lets get you home."

"B-But my mom -"

"Henry." Archie stopped, putting a hand on Henry's arm. "That's enough now. We've talked about this - moving forward."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, awash in confusion.

"Henry," Archie said kindly. "Your mother's been gone for a long, long time. It's not realistic to expect that you'll find her someday, or that she'll look for you. I'm sorry."

###

"21:53. Call it." Dr. Walsh peeled off his gloves with a heavy and disgusted sigh, punching his hand down on the bed next to the man he'd been working on.

"You did everything you could," the nurse said, pulling the sheet over the patient's head.

"I thought I had it," Walsh said. "We had the arrhythmia under control. Maybe if we'd tried the epinephrine -"

"There was nothing else you could have done," the nurse said gently.

"How many more?" he asked. "How many more am I going to lose? I try and I try and -"

"Dr.! Dr. Walsh!" an orderly called out, pushing his head through the door. "Incoming!"

"Was there an accident?" Walsh asked, following him out.

"We're not sure," the orderly answered. "She was found collapsed on the sidewalk. She doesn't seem to be breathing but her heartbeat is strong."

"How is that possible?" Walsh said, following the orderly into the Emergency Room. "Who is it, anyway?"

The orderly pulled the curtain aside, showing the pale, unconscious woman. "Mary Margaret Blanchard."

###

Killian pulled his cutlass, hacking away at the dense undergrowth in front of him. He felt like he'd been walking for hours, but without the sun, he had no idea how long it had been in reality.

He'd stepped off the gangplank of his ship and had promptly tripped right over a fallen log, falling face-down in the spongey soil instead of onto a dry dock. He had no idea what had happened, but whatever it was, he was here, and he was alone. He'd scoured the area for Emma and Henry to no avail. Now all that was left was to figure out where he was.

He paused, wiping the sweat from his brow, then he leaned back and shouted.

"Emma! Henry!"

There was no answer, other than the sound of the occasional shuffling in the trees around him, not large enough a sound to be anything other than small animals. He stood there panting for a moment, realizing that he'd need to find water, and soon. Perhaps if he could break out of the trees to an open area, he'd have a better idea of where he was come daylight.

The trees appeared to be thinning out and he pushed forward with renewed vigor, and in the distance he could hear the sound of water, possibly a waterfall of some kind. He broke through the trees and stopped short before he could topple over the cliff. The waterfall was just off to his right, thundering over the side, and he closed his eyes with a groan as he turned his head, able to make it out clearly in the moonlight.

Skull Island.

Bloody hell. He was in Neverland.

###

The woman walked down the street, trying her best to tune them all out as they bickered, or complained, or dabbed at their eyes. Their sadness was a heavy, heavy thing, and she could feel it weighing her down, pervading the air around her.

A few of them looked at her curiously, but they seemed to be wrapped up in their own troubles, as they always were. Still, it wouldn't do to cause alarm or suspicion. She needed someplace to stay, until she could find what she needed.

The sound of a cry, sharp and shrill, pulled her from her thoughts. She stepped closer to the strange conveyance, looking inside.

There was a baby, strapped into some sort of basket on the seat of the strange carriage. The woman looked in through the windows, pressing her face to the glass. A glance around her showed that there was no one in sight to claim the child.

She looked for a knob or a latch of some kind, and finally managed to open the carriage by pushing and pulling at a metal lever. The door swung open and it took her a few more moments to work the child free of its bindings.

Why would someone bind a baby so?

She lifted the child carefully out of the basket, holding him close.

"You're very young to be so alone," she said, looking around again. No one seemed to be around to claim the child.

"Come, little one," she said. "We'll find a warm place for us both." She was about to exit the conveyance when she saw the keys dangling from the place near the wheel. She reached out and pulled them free.

"Perhaps we can find your home," she said. She looked at the building in front of her, wrapping her cloak protectively around the child.

"We'll start here," she said.

She began on the first floor, knocking on doors or trying the keys. She mounted the stairs, and finally found a lock that the key fit. She turned the knob and stepped inside.

A glance about showed that while strange, there were signs that a baby lived in this place. There were small blankets and clothing and toys.

"I cannot feed you, little one," she said. "We'll have to seek out a wet nurse, until we can find your mother."

She rocked the baby gently, singing until it sighed, closing its eyes. She continued singing softly, laying the child down carefully in its cradle. She pulled the blanket up, smoothing it down around the babe with soft and gentle hands. Her fingers reached out, tracing the letters on the blanket, spelling out the baby's name.

"Neal," she murmured. "I hope your mother finds you soon. Until then…sleep. You are too young to be touched by the troubles of this world."


	3. Scattered

"Can you help me?" The woman said, raising her voice to be heard over the crying of the baby.

Dr. Whale looked up from his paperwork, a puzzled frown marring his brow. His examination and the follow-up tests on Mary Margaret just led to even more questions. He turned his gaze politely to the woman.

"Yes?"

"The baby – he's hungry. Can you direct me to a wet nurse?"

"You found a baby?" Whale came around the desk, reaching for the infant. "Is he all right?"

The woman nodded. "Other than being hungry, he's fine."

"Where did you find him?"

"He was abandoned," she said. "I've done my best to keep him comfortable, but I cannot find his mother."

Whale gave the baby a quick once-over – not the easiest thing to do since Neal was squalling his head off.

"It just so happens I know where his mother is," Whale said. "Come with me."

He handed the baby back to the woman and she followed him down the hallway.

"I didn't get your name," he said. "I'm Dr. Whale."

"Dora," she replied softly. "My friends call me Dora."

Whale pushed open the door to the private room.

"This is Mary Margaret Blanchard," he said. "She was found collapsed on the street. When I did my examination, I discovered that she was lactating." At Dora's confused look, he amended, "Nursing. She'd given birth at some point a few months ago – something that no one in town had any idea about." He chewed his lower lip nervously. "Least of all me."

He reached out for Neal, holding him up and studying him a little more closely. "His hair looks more blonde than brown," he said warily. Neal's face was red and angry, his cries coming in short, sharp bursts now.

"Please," Dora said. "I know she is ill, but can she nurse him?"

"I believe so," Whale said. "Let's give it a try."

Dora reached out to take Neal and Whale wasn't letting go. "Let me," she said. "I've some experience with this."

"Oh." Whale stepped back, handing Neal over. "Of course. I'll just…I'll be outside. Let me know when he's finished."

"I will," she said, stroking Neal's head. "Come little one. It's time to eat."

###

Emma looked up from her breakfast as the older woman slid into the seat across from her. She'd met her the very first day, and she was four units down on the block. Her name was Angele, but went by the name Jelly. She also talked way too much. Jelly was on an eight year sentence for involuntary manslaughter due to a related DUI, and for some reason she seemed to think she was everyone's mother.

"It won't work, you know," Jelly said.

Emma pushed her scrambled eggs around on her plate. "What won't work?"

"Trying to get out of here," Jelly said. "I've seen you, and so have they," she pointed at one of the guards with a slice of toast. "You take every outdoor work detail. You tried to get yourself assigned to the kitchen because they get deliveries every day. And I see you looking at the windows – all the windows. It won't work."

"Maybe I'm just curious," Emma said.

"You're a young woman. Play it smart. Do your time and then get the hell out and don't come back here."

"I'm working on that."

"I know how it is with girls like you," Jelly went on. "That lost look. You're a loner because you've never had anybody. But I'm here for you, hon," she said. "We can be your family for a while. We can all take care of each other."

Emma looked up, stony-faced. "I have a family."

"Maybe you do," she amended, "But nobody's gonna get you out of here, hon. There's nobody slick enough to do it. And if they are, they're not the type you should be spending time with anyway."

For the first time since she woke up in this nightmare, Emma cracked a slight smile. "Yeah, that's what everyone told me." _And look how he came through for me_ , she thought.

"Oh, hon," Jelly said with a smile. "You got it bad."

"Come again?"

"Love. You're trying to get out of here to get back to your man."

"I'm getting back to my family," Emma clarified. "I don't belong here."

"Don't none of us belong here," Jelly said. "What have you got left? A year? If he'll wait out a year for you, he'll wait a lifetime."

Emma closed her eyes, trying not to let that one sink in too far.

"This isn't my life," Emma said, her jaw tightening.

"It is now." Jelly speared some eggs on her fork. "And the sooner you accept that, and do what they tell you to do, the faster the time's gonna go. Then you'll be back with your family and your man, and you can forget this place ever existed."

She got to her feet, leaving Jelly with a nod and cleaning off her tray before heading toward her work detail for the day. There was a section of fence that sat along the side of one building, and the sun glare in that corner was brutal around this time of day. The cameras over there wouldn't see anything but sunshine for a good twenty minutes, and a couple of hundred yards past the fence there was a large, overgrown area of scrub-brush that bordered the road in, not far from a series of speed bumps that led up to the gate.

If she could get onto the bumper of one of the delivery trucks as it slowed for the bumps, her beige prison scrubs would blend right in with the landscape. She'd have to ditch the orange sneakers, or maybe tuck them inside her clothes or something. She just needed to be able to hang on for a few miles, till she got closer to civilization. She'd need a distraction, and she'd need a way to disable the censors on the fence, and she'd need to make sure she was alone enough to sneak through.

 _One step at a time, Swan_. Emma smiled again. It was like she could practically hear his voice in her head, and the voices of everyone else as well. _Family always finds each other. You're the savior._

This time, she was going to have to save herself before she could get back to saving them.

###

Regina sat across the dinner table from Marco, eyeing him warily as he ate his dinner in silence. The last few days had been an exercise in futility. Her every attempt to leave had been unsuccessful, and talking to Marco was getting her nowhere. He treated her like she was going mad, and maybe she was. He was firmly of the opinion that she was just having trouble adjusting to her new life as his wife, and humored her, for the most part, not even registering that she was really and truly, physically unable to leave.

It appeared to be a loveless marriage – thank God. They maintained separate bedrooms and Marco was cordial and kind but distant in the extreme. His only thoughts seemed to center around Pinocchio, and when he'd be returning home.

She pushed her plate aside, clearing her throat gently.

"Marco."

He set down his wineglass. "Yes, my dear?"

"I was wondering if you'd mind filling me in on some things."

Marco smiled placidly. "Of course. What do you need to know?"

"Well, since I'm trapped in here –"

"By your own anxieties," he reassured. "One day, you will overcome them. Perhaps when you have a family around you."

"About that," she said, forcing a smile. "I was wondering if you've seen Henry."

"Henry?" Marco nodded. "Yes, of course I have. What do you need with Henry?"

Regina looked incredulous. "What do I _need_? He's my –" Marco's blank look set her teeth on edge. "He's my special friend. I'm quite fond of the boy and I think it might do me good to visit with him. Can you arrange that?"

"I suppose that I can," he offered amenably. "If I see him, I'll mention it."

Regina gritted her teeth. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"You know," he said kindly, "Dr. Hopper would be more than happy to help you with your…issues."

"And I'd love to go and see him," Regina said, throwing down her napkin angrily. "Or anyone else! What about Snow?"

Marco looked at her with confusion. "There's no call for snow in the forecast today," he said. "It's summer, after all." He looked at her with concern. "Perhaps you'd better lie down."

Regina took a deep, calming breath. "I'm talking about Snow White."

Marco shook his head, still looking concerned.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"Oh," Marco said, his eyes lighting with recognition. "Yes, it's very sad, isn't it?"

"What happened to her?" Regina asked in alarm.

"She's in the hospital, in a coma. She doesn't move, she doesn't respond to anyone – no one knows what happened. It's like she's in a sleep she cannot wake from."

"And David?"

"David Nolan?" Marco looked at her quizzically. "You must be going out into town or at least talking to your friends on the telephone," he said. "You seem to have the latest news."

"But not all of it," she replied with another forced smile. "How about filling me in?"

"David was found wandering the streets," Marco explained. "He's lost all his memory. He's home with his wife now and she's taking care of him."

"Catherine?"

"Yes."

"And Emma?"

Marco's face was blank once more. "Emma who?" he asked.

Regina's hand tightened into a fist. If there was no Emma, and Snow and David were out of commission, who was taking care of Henry?

"Marco, if you promise to bring Henry over first thing in the morning, I promise I'll try harder to…go out."

"Very well," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'll be busy looking for my boy, but if I see Henry, I'll mention you."

###

Killian continued to walk the beach, his eyes scouring the sand as he did so. He'd even taken off his boots so that he could feel around in the sand with his toes.

Four days since he'd been dropped in the middle of this accursed island, and he was no closer to getting out of here. From what he could tell, he was all alone, save for the occasional wild boar. He hadn't traveled back in time, then.

He had no idea what had brought him here, but whatever it was certainly wasn't good. Building a raft or a small boat was going to be time consuming in the extreme with the small amount of tools left in Pan's old camp. And once he did get free, he'd still need a portal to get back to Storybrooke. He didn't have time to wait for all of that. He needed to get back to Emma.

He muttered an oath as his toe hit something solid, and he bent over to dig around it, pulling and tugging until it came out of the sand.

He held the shell up, shaking the last of the sand from it, then he walked to the water's edge and blew into it.

He waited a few minutes, and then impatiently blew it again. He was about to blow it a third time when the water began to bubble and churn off in the distance, and he saw the slap of tail.

He straightened, running his fingers through his hair. It had been many a year since he'd flirted with a mermaid, but his face had never failed him when he did. He needed to get a message to Storybrooke, and he needed to know what was going on.

He brushed some sand from his shirtsleeve, and waited until the mermaid surfaced, pinning on his most charming smile, willing to do whatever he had to do to win her favor.

"Hello there," he called out, waving cheerfully. "I'm hoping you and I can have a bit of a friendly chat…"

And then his face fell.

Ariel stared at him stonily.

"Hello, Captain," she said, her eyes narrowing.


	4. Amends

Killian rubbed his ear uncomfortably, staring across the lagoon at the mermaid he'd hoped to never encounter again.

"Ariel," he said, forcing a smile. "You're looking well."

"And you're looking marooned," she said. "Talk about just desserts."

"Yes. Well." He looked away, his brain working madly. How could he possibly win her over? He needed to get off this damned island.

"I called you because it's imperative that I get back to Storybrooke," he said. "Emma and her family may be in danger - perhaps even the whole bloody town."

She gave him a deadpan look. "Really."

"I'm not lying to you, Ariel."

She swam closer. "And I'm supposed to believe that? Why? You've never been especially truthful before. What's your angle?"

Killian's eyebrows went up. "Angle? There's no angle! You have to believe me - something's gone terribly wrong and I have to get back."

"Even with your ship, I can't pull you through a portal," she said, bobbing gently in the water.

"I don't have my ship," he said in exasperation.

Ariel looked at him in confusion. "You don't have your ship?" She moved closer, sliding the cuff on her arm and walking up out of the water. "What do you mean you don't have your ship? That ship was everything to you - more important than a man's life, as I recall."

Killian closed his eyes, letting the self-loathing wash over him. When he opened them, the pain within their depths made her step falter.

"I'm sorry, Ariel," he said softly. "Truly, I am. I know you ended up finding your prince, but it could have easily gone the other way, and I would have been to blame. I know I can't possibly say anything that could make you understand, but I need your help. They all need your help. Please."

His hand was outstretched in a gesture of entreaty, and Ariel could hear the sincerity in his voice.

"Maybe you'd better start at the beginning," she said, walking over to a fallen log nearby and taking a seat. "What happened to Storybrooke?"

"I don't know," he replied, sinking down wearily onto the log across from her. "Emma, Henry and I were out sailing -"

"You said you didn't have your ship," she said suspiciously.

"I don't. We were on a borrowed vessel. As we approached the town, the sky suddenly lit up. We pulled into port, and instead of stepping off the boat onto the dock, I stepped into Neverland, and I've no idea why, or who's responsible."

"Maybe you were the target," Ariel said. "It's not like you don't have enemies."

Killian's jaw tightened. "That's true enough. However, I'm completely alone here, and no one's tried to do me any harm. It's far more likely that the town is under threat, and they wanted me removed for some reason."

Ariel chewed her lower lip. "Other than the possible threat of potential danger...how is everyone? Snow and Belle and the others?"

"Snow just had a son. His name is Neal." Killian smiled. "He's quite the cherub."

"A son!" Ariel clapped her hands together happily. "How wonderful!"

"And Belle is...well, really, I thinks she could use a friend. If you've a mind to travel, she'd likely be very happy to see you," he said. "Provided she's all right. Provided _they're_ all right."

"I'll see what I can do," Ariel said, brushing off her skirt. "Let me swim to Storybrooke, and I'll return and let you know if there's anything wrong."

"Thank you!" Killian got to his feet. "Thank you, Ariel. And could you - please - take a message to Emma? Tell her where I am and what happened. And tell her -" He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Tell her I'll find a way. That I won't stop looking until I return to her."

She stared at him, realization beginning to dawn. "Your ship," she said. "You traded your ship for a magic bean. That's how you got to Storybrooke."

He nodded. "Aye."

"For Emma?"

He let out a sigh. "Yes. And for all of them. Now you see why I had to have the ship. I knew if I could find someone with a magic bean, I could use the ship in trade and get back to Emma." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "'Course, I had no idea at the time that Blackbeard would be the one with the bloody beans."

"Blackbeard!" Ariel's voice raised in anger. "You sold your ship to _Blackbeard_? After all you went through to take it from him?"

"The irony hasn't escaped me," he said with a good deal of chagrin. "But I really didn't have much of a choice."

"You weren't talking about the ship, that night on the dock," Ariel said, looking at him curiously. "When you said she'd be back in your arms. You were talking about Emma."

Killian gave her a crooked grin. "I had a singular purpose, and the ship was a means to an end," he said. "Is there anything you wouldn't give to see your Eric safe?"

Ariel shook her head. "No." She walked into the water, turning to look over her shoulder. "I'll help you, Hook. If I can. And I'll pass your message to Emma."

"Thank you," he said again. "And Ariel...be careful. I don't know yet what happened, but you may be swimming into danger."

She gave him a delicate shrug. "That's nothing I haven't done before," she said, and she dove under the water. Killian sank back down on the log, exhaling loudly in pure relief. He set his hands behind him, and stared up at the sky.

"Hold on, Emma. I'll get back to you, love."

###

The bowl of gruel slid under the door, and Belle turned her head lethargically to look at it. She pushed off the bunk, staggering slightly. The pills they gave her always made her head spin.

She kept one hand to the wall as she stumbled toward the door, crouching down slowly to avoid tipping over. She reached out for the bowl and withdrew her hand with a shriek when she saw the bug sitting in the middle of her bowl.

A loud volley of bangs against the door startled her badly, sending her backwards in a sprawl against the cold concrete floor.

"Quiet down in there, you!" A voice shouted.

Belle nodded her head almost violently. "Yes. S-sorry," she stammered.

The slot in the door opened again, and this time a metal cup of water slid through before it slammed shut again. Belle rolled up onto her knees, then she tentatively reached out, making a face as she fished the bug out of her gruel with the plastic spoon they'd given her. She wiped the spoon on her filthy gown, then reached for the bowl, shoveling the thin mixture greedily into her mouth. When the bowl was clean, she reached for the cup of water, tipping it up and drinking deeply.

She'd just lowered it back to the floor when she realized they'd done it to her again. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , she thought, as the heaviness spread through her limbs and up to her neck and head. She crawled on her hands and knees to the bunk, using the last of her strength to pull herself onto the threadbare mattress, wishing she could make her arms move, to at least pull up the sheet for some warmth.

And then it all went black again.

###

Regina nearly ran when she heard the doorbell, and once she peeked out and saw who it was, it was all she could do not to try to break the window again.

"Henry!"

"Mom!"

"Henry, you'll have to open the door yourself. I can't do it," she called out.

Henry wrenched open the door and ran right into her arms. She held him tightly, kissing his hair before she pulled back to look at him. "You're all right?"

He nodded.

"Where's Emma?"

"I don't know," he said. "And I'm not sure exactly what's going on. Why are you here?"

"I don't know what's going on, either," she said, closing the door and pulling him over to the couch to sit down. "Tell me what you know."

"My mom and I were sailing with Killian. We saw the whole town light up. Then we got off the ship and I turned around and they were both gone. Just...vanished," he said.

"Gone? That fast?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah. And so I tried to call you, but you weren't answering. No one in town knew where you were - they didn't even know _who_ you were. Until today when Marco said his wife wanted to talk to me." He looked at her, wide-eyed. "Mom, what's going on?"

"No one in town remembers me?" she asked in alarm.

"No. And they've all resorted to their cursed selves, pretty much. A few more people are missing, too. And just like before, nobody believes me when I try to tell them the truth. It's so...frustrating."

He sank back into the couch with a sound of exasperation.

"Tell me about it," Regina said. "Marco thinks I'm his new bride, I'm trapped in this house, and he's going crazy looking for Pinocchio."

"Pinocchio's missing?"

"Apparently so," Regina said dryly.

"But wait -" Henry said, scrunching his face up in confusion. "If Marco's back to his cursed self, he wouldn't know Pinocchio."

Now it was Regina's turn to look confused. "You're right. What about your grandparents?"

"Grandpa doesn't remember who he is. He lost all his memories. He's living with Catherine again."

And your grandmother?"

"She's in the hospital," Henry said. "Under a sleeping curse, but Dr. Whale doesn't realize it. He's drinking a lot again," Henry said, shrugging. "I tried to wake her, but it didn't work and I don't know why."

Regina shook her head, thinking. "And I'm here, trapped in a loveless marriage," she said. "It's like we've all been sent back to the worst times in our lives."

Henry nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's _exactly_ what it's like. What kind of a curse would do that?"

"I don't know," Regina said grimly. "I need to get out of here and do some research, but whatever this curse does, it keeps me from ever leaving this house."

"There's something more," Henry said. "There's a woman."

"What woman?" Regina's eyebrows went up.

"She's a stranger. She says her name is Dora, and she's living in my apartment. She has Neal."

Regina stood up, walking fast toward the door, throwing her arms out desperately, willing the magic to come. Nothing happened.

"Dammit!' She shouted, wrenching at the doorknob. "Dammit, dammit..." she kicked the door hard, out of pure frustration.

"Whoever she is, Henry, we've got to get that baby away from her."

"I know," Henry said. "But nobody in town seems to care that she's not his mother. She's taking care of him and even taking him over to the hospital so he can nurse."

"If that bitch thinks she can get her claws on Snow's baby..." Regina ground her teeth together.

Henry walked over, taking her hand. "What are we going to do?"

"I need to research," Regina said, tapping her lip with a finger. "I need to figure out who this woman is, and what sort of a curse she laid on us all."

"I could talk to her. Pretend to be her friend. I met her already when I tried to go home."

"What was she like?" Regina's eyes narrowed.

"She was nice enough," Henry repllied. "Kinda sad, though. Like she's all cried out or something. I told her she should talk to Archie."

"That's a good idea," Regina said, thinking hard. "A _very_ good idea. Henry, I think we've got something to start with." She considered for a moment more, then she suddenly looked down at her son. "Wait a minute - if she's at your apartment, where are you staying?"

"I'm back at our old house," he said. "All by myself."

"Are you eating?" she asked in alarm.

"Pop tarts. They're almost gone, though." He shrugged.

"Come on," she said. "I'll make some dinner. And we'll talk strategy."

They both turned suddenly at the sound of the door being opened. Marco stepped through, giving Henry a friendly nod before planting a dry, grazing kiss on Regina's cheek.

"Hello, my dear," he said, a bit wearily.

"How was your search?" she asked.

Marco's eyes were bleak. "No luck, still. I'll try again tomorrow." He looked over at Henry. "Did you enjoy your visit?"

"Yes," Regina said brightly. "Very much. Henry's going to stay for dinner."

"That's nice," Marco replied, unbuttoning his coat and removing his hat. He paused when Regina stepped closer, putting a hand on his arm.

"Marco..."

"Yes, my dear?"

"I've been thinking about what you said. About trying to be happy in my new life. And I think I know what will help."

"And what is that?" he asked politely.

Regina smiled. "I want to adopt a baby."


	5. Orange Is The New Red Jacket

"Hook!"

Killian started awake, rolling to his feet to face the danger and nearly sank his hook into Ariel. She fell backwards into the sand and he reached down to help her to her feet.

"Apologies, lass," he said. "This place sets me on edge."

Ariel nodded, brushing herself off. "That's understandable. Have you seen anyone?"

Killian shook his head. "No, I'm quite alone. Did you make it to Storybrooke? How is Emma?"

Ariel's mouth set in a grim line. "You'd better sit down."

"Is she all right?" He looked at her beseechingly. "Please, Ariel - Is she all right?"

She plopped down on a log nearby. "How does it feel to wonder? To be eaten alive with worry?"

Killian's jaw tightened. "I deserve that. But I still need to know. Please."

She let out a sigh. "I don't know." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I really don't. And neither does Henry."

"Henry's all right?" He asked, clearly relieved.

"He is, but there's a lot that isn't all right in Storybrooke. Henry took me to see Regina and they think they might know what's happened - they just don't know how it happened."

Killian sat down. "Go on."

"A strange woman has appeared in Storybrooke and moved into the place where Emma used to live with Snow and David. She's taking care of Snow's baby."

"What?"

"She calls herself Dora," Ariel went on. "I got a glimpse of her, but she's no one that I recognize, and so far, no one in town knows much about her. They don't seem to care, either, because they've all resorted to their cursed memories."

"They've been cursed again?" Killian asked, incredulously. "What about Emma?"

"That's just it - they haven't all been cursed. Some have disappeared. David has no memories at all, and Snow is under a sleeping curse. Regina is trapped in Marco's house - he thinks he's her husband - and she can't get out. Some kind of magic is keeping her prisoner."

"And Emma? What's happened to Emma?" Killian's hand curled into a fist as he fought the very real urge to shake the answer out of her, he wanted it so badly.

"When I told Regina where you were, she thought that confirmed her theory," Ariel explained. "Somehow everyone in Storybrooke has been sent back to a time in their life when they were most troubled. For you, that's Neverland. For Regina, it was trapped in a loveless marriage. For Henry, it was trapped in a town full of disbelievers when he knew the truth."

"So that means that Emma is -"

"In prison. At least, Henry is pretty sure that's where she'd be."

Killian got to his feet pacing with agitation. "I've got to get off this accursed island!" he turned to look at Ariel. "Can you swim me to Storybrooke? Above the water?"

She shook her head. "No. The barrier is too far down in the depths. Even if you could survive the crushing pressure, you'd drown before I could get you through."

"There's got to be a way. A ship, perhaps? Something!"

Ariel got to her feet, reaching down for the pouch slung across her body. "I think I have something. A friend knew I was looking for Eric, but I'd already found him when she brought it to me. I think it might help you." She opened the pouch, digging inside, and pulled out a beautiful shell. It was brilliant, iridescent blue on the inside and so smooth it looked like glass. Killian took it from her, turning it over in his fingers.

"I don't understand."

"The shell holds a wishing star," she said. "Sometimes they fall to earth. This one fell in the sea."

"A wishing star!" He broke into a wide grin, scooping her up and twirling her around. "Ariel, I could kiss you!"

She stepped back, smiling and raising a brow. "Save the kisses for Emma. I've got a man already."

Killian's eyes softened. "And he's lucky to have you. You're a far better soul than I am, Ariel." His eyes widened, and his mouth turned down in a grimace. "And that's why this will never work," he said, handing the shell back to her. "Thank you anyway."

"What do you mean?" She looked at him in confusion.

"A wishing star will only work if you have a pure heart," Killian said. "Suffice it to say, I don't meet the requirement - as you are well aware."

She gave him a begrudging smile. "Maybe not," she agreed. "But I might qualify. I can try to wish you to wherever Emma is."

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do it to help Snow and Belle," she said. "And for you, too. I think everyone deserves a second chance."

"Thank you, Ariel. I don't know if I can ever repay this. If you ever need anything from me, ever again..."

Ariel's lip twitched. "Don't go making rash promises, Captain. It's not your style." She held the shell up in front of her face and closed her eyes. "Hook," she said. "I wish you could be wherever Emma is."

And when she opened her eyes, he was gone.

###

Emma pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, then reached up in exasperation, pulling out her hair tie and fixing her ponytail again.

"Swan! No daydreaming!" The guard called out.

Emma gave him a dark look, then reached back inside the oven, scrubbing with the sponge before dunking it in the bucket of soapy water next to her.

"I'm pretty much done here," she said. "You want to come check?"

The guard started to walk over when a ringing sound interrupted him, signalling the opening of the unit door. The female guard walked in, followed by someone in stained coveralls, and it was good thing the first guard had turned away because Emma suddenly squeezed every bit of water out of the sponge, splattering it all over the open oven door. Bright blue eyes met hers from under the brim of a stained baseball cap with the logo of a local service company on it.

Emma bit back her smile, quickly wiping up the water and closing the oven door as the other guard approached.

"He's here to fix the fryer," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at Killian.

"I can supervise him, if you want to log Swan's work detail hours," the male guard volunteered.

The female guard gave him a look, then lowered her voice. "Are you kidding? I'm not going _anywhere_."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Just make sure he doesn't leave any tools around."

Emma stood up, picking up her bucket and preparing to dump the soapy water into the sink. Her mind was working furiously. If Killian was impersonating a repairman, that meant he had a vehicle. She just needed to get to it.

"I could really use a miracle," she whispered under her breath, and as she looked up her eyes landed on Jelly, who was stapling flyers up to the bulletin board in the dining hall.

Jelly looked up, as if sensing Emma's eyes on her and gave her a wave. Emma waved back, then made a great show of dropping the bucket loudly on the floor.

"Sorry," she said to the guard. "Slipped out of my hands." He gave her an annoyed look. "Go get a mop and clean up this mess."

"Right." She glanced over her shoulder at Killian, meeting his eyes again as he listened politely while the female guard stammered through an explanation of what was wrong with the fryer. When Emma turned back to the sink again, Jelly was giving her an oddly knowing look. She smiled, inclining her head slightly toward Killian, then raised her eyebrows, as if in a question.

Emma glanced over at the male guard, who was busy opening a nearby cupboard, looking for a snack, then looked back at Jelly, giving the slightest, most imperceptible nod.

Jelly silently mouthed "Good Luck" and then dropped to the floor, her papers scattering and the stapler landing with a clatter.

"Jelly!" Emma shouted, looking over at the guards. "She's hurt!"

The male guard was already in motion, the female guard was reaching for her radio. Killian stopped her with a hand on his arm and a smile that froze the words on her lips. "I need a different tool for the repair," he said. "May I return to my truck?"

She glanced over at Jelly, who wasn't reviving despite the other guard lightly patting her face. She gave a reluctant nod. "I can let you out through the delivery door, if you're parked back there."

"I am," he replied, forcing himself not to look over at Emma. "The truck is right next to the door."

The guard motioned him toward the door and unlocked it, letting Killian out and standing at the door, watching. He re-entered a moment later, bumping into her accidentally as he came through and dropping a tool on the ground near her feet. The woman bent over to get it, completely missing the fact that Killian nudged a small stone into the path of the door with toe of his boot.

"She's not coming around," the male guard called out.

"Is she breathing?" The female guard asked.

"Yeah, but -" he broke off as Jelly started convulsing. "Oh shit!" he shouted.

The female guard started forward, coming around the serving counter of the kitchen. Emma looked over at Killian quickly.

"Do you want me to go get the first aid kit?" Emma called out. "There's one in the kitchen office."

"Yes!" the lady guard shouted over her shoulder, not bothering to turn and look as she crouched down next to Jelly's twitching body. She tried to elevate her head by placing it in her lap as the other guard held Jelly's arms down in an effort to keep her from hurting herself. Jelly cracked open one eye, winking it at Emma before she went back to jerking again.

Emma edged over toward the door and then out, moving the stone and closing it tight behind her. She stayed low, but it really wasn't necessary. Killian wasn't exaggerating - the van was right next to the door, and from the looks of it, he'd managed to take out the surveillance camera somehow - it was dangling from it's frayed wires. She opened the passenger-side sliding door and climbed in, pulling it shut as quietly as possible. There was an unconscious man in the back, gagged and wearing only his underwear. Emma gave him a pat on the arm.

"Sorry, buddy," she said. "You'll be out of here soon. I hope."

Ten agonizing minutes later, Killian slid into the driver's seat.

"Hello beautiful," he said, keeping his eyes forward.

"Get us out of here," Emma whispered. "They're going to notice I'm gone any minute now."

"I told them you had to go to the infirmary, because the kit was empty," he replied. "And they think I'm returning to my shop for additional tools."

"Smart thinking."

It would be helpful if you told me how to start the vehicle," he pointed out.

"Crap." Emma exhaled. "Look for keys."

"I have them," he said, holding them up. "They were in my pocket." He fumbled through two or three choices on the ring, finally finding the one that fit and turning it. The truck hummed to life.

"Thank God it's an automatic," Emma said. "Push in the button on that handle there - that's your brake. Then push the handle down."

Killian did as instructed. "Now what?"

"See that other lever?"

"The one with all the letters?"

"Yeah. Move it to "D". That's right," she encouraged. "Now slowly - _slowly_ press on the pedal under your right foot. That will push us forward. And I assume you know how to steer."

"Well enough to get us through the gates, I would think." He pressed on the gas - a little too quickly - and the truck lurched forward.

"Slow!" She hissed.

"I've got it," he ground out, pushing in on the pedal with more restraint. A few moments later he'd pulled them out onto the perimeter road, and after one last stop at the guardhouse - where no alarm had been raised as yet - they were through.

"Now what?" he said, keeping his eyes forward as he concentrated on keeping the car on the road.

"Turn left up there," she said. "Then as soon as you see a building, pull us behind it so we can switch seats. "We've only got a few minutes more before they figure this all out and we have to be out of this van and into other transportation by then."

Killian did as he was told, but he bypassed the first building, deciding that the first building would most likely be the first place they looked. He found a warehouse down the road and off another street, and pulled them in behind it.

"We're in luck!" Emma said, looking over at the line of cars parked in the parking spaces. "All I need is a screwdriver and we've got a few options," she said. "And if we switch license plates with another car, we won't match when they send out the APB."

Killian was already in motion, peeling off his coveralls and throwing them to Emma. "You get the car started - I'll swap the plates."

Emma eyed the cars, picking out the most mundane looking sedan she could find. She was about to break the back window when Killian tried the door and it opened.

"Look at that," he said, grinning cheekily. "There are still trusting people in the world."

"Get that plate changed and lets get out of here," she said, zipping into the coveralls and stuffing her hair up under the hat. She grabbed the screwdriver, and started up the car just as Killian slid into the seat next to her.

"Drive Swan - drive!"

She peeled out of the parking lot, keeping to the back streets at just a little higher than normal speed and making it to the highway just as they started hearing sirens in the distance. Once they pulled into afternoon traffic, she waited a few exits, then moved off into residential areas, always heading east. Finally, it was starting to get dark, so she pulled off for the night, parking in a new housing development, parking in front of the model home, which was already locked and dark.

She put her head back on the headrest and let out a huge exhale of air.

"Oh, God. We did it." She turned and looked at Killian, and he reached out, pulling her into his arms.

"I've got you, love," he said. "I've got you."


	6. Put Together

Killian held Emma tightly, his hand tangling in her hair.

"We did it," she said again. "We actually did it. I thought I was never going to get out of there."

Emma pulled back, kissing him hard on the lips, and just as Killian was getting into it, she pulled back again.

"What's going on, Killian? Why was I whisked away from Storybrooke?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Swan. I was in a prison of my own."

"Where?"

His jaw tightened. "Neverland. Oh, not to worry, I was quite alone. I managed to get ahold of a friendly mermaid and got the hell out of there."

Emma looked confused. "So you weren't in Storybrooke? What the hell happened?"

"It's a bit of a convoluted tale, best told when we're safely off the street for the evening. Is it a solid wager that they'll be watching the inns in the area?"

"Pretty much." Emma sank back into the driver's seat. "We need to get out of this car." Her fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently. "Wait – didn't we go over some train tracks a few minutes ago?"

"Yes, we did. Do you think we can get aboard?"

"We need to follow them to wherever the nearest loading yard is. If we can get aboard a freight train, we can get out of here without being noticed, if we're careful."

"Then you need to drive," Killian said, "And I'll watch for tracks. As usual, we make a hell of a team."

Emma smirked, and put the car in gear.

###

"I hope Neal is okay," Emma said, leaning her head back against the wall of the freight car.

"According to Ariel, Regina was in the process of trying to adopt him," Killian said. "Hopefully, she'll succeed. Henry did tell her that the woman seemed to be caring for the child."

"I know, but I don't like it. A kid needs his mother. And I don't like Henry cozying up to this nutcase."

Emma pulled her knees up wrapping her arms around them.

"Hey," Killian said, rubbing his hand up and down her back before pulling her back against him. "He'll be all right. And we'll be there soon. Try to get some rest." He kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair back off her face. Emma snuggled into his chest, resting her head there.

"I swear, I didn't sleep a wink in that place," she grumbled. "It's like I was seventeen all over again."

"I learned long ago to sleep with one eye open in Neverland. If anything, it made me more uneasy that I was alone."

"Until you found a way to get to me," Emma reminded, looking up at him. He smiled down at her.

"I'll always find a way to get to you, Swan. You're never going to be rid of me, love."

Emma snuggled in again, smiling.

###

"What do you mean, it isn't due process? I'm the _mayor,_ " Regina insisted.

Archie looked at Marco with his brows raised. Marco shrugged as if to say _"See? She's crazy."_

"Regina," Archie said placatingly. "You haven't been mayor since you married Marco, remember?"

Regina gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Of course, I realize that. But has the office been filled?"

Archie seemed confused for a moment. "No...no, it hasn't. But you can hardly take the office when you're so taken by panic attacks that you can't leave your own home. I'm sorry, Regina, but we have to be realistic, here."

"And what about the baby?" Regina asked. "We're just going to let this...this stranger raise one of our children? We know nothing about her, and from what Henry tells me, she's manic depressive."

Archie's eyes dropped uncomfortably, and Regina pounced. "And you agree with that diagnosis, don't you?"

He bit his lip, nodding slightly. "Yes, I've seen Dora twice since she came to town. And she does seem to have some sort of depressive disorder. She's not talking much yet, but I'm hopeful."

"And in the meantime, she's raising a child. As if she doesn't have enough to deal with," Regina pointed out.

"While I agree that Dora isn't ideal," Archie said, "Neither are you at the moment, Regina. I'm sorry, but I have to consider all the options, and sending the baby into another unstable situation isn't ideal, either."

"Unstable!" Regina realized she'd raised her voice, and immediately backed down. She stood up from the couch, pacing back and forth, thinking hard.

"Stability," she said. "That's it. This child needs a family."

"That would be ideal," Archie said. "At least until Mary Margaret awakens - if she ever does."

Regina folded her arms, leaning back against the table set against the wall. "What if I told you I know of just such a family? Stable. Loving. And they want a child."

"I'd be happy to entertain other possibilities, Regina, if you know of them."

"How about the Nolans?" she suggested. "Catherine is a warm and loving person, and so is David. This might be just the thing to bring them closer together."

Archie nodded his head slowly as the idea began to take root. "Yes...yes, we could do that. That might be ideal, actually. It would give David something to focus on besides his memory loss."

"I would feel much better knowing that baby is being cared for by people we know and trust," Regina said. "And I'm sure David and Catherine would be more than happy to foster the child."

Archie stood up, reaching for his coat. "I'll go and talk to them now, Regina." He walked toward the door, opening it. "Thank you," he said, and then he was gone.

"Are you happy now, my dear?" Marco asked. "The babe will be seen to." He stood up as well, grabbing his own coat. "And now I can get back to my search. I'll see you for dinner." He leaned down, giving Regina a dry kiss on the cheek before he followed Archie out.

Regina leaned back against the wall, sighing.

"Well, Snow...it was the best I could do. Maybe it'll help him remember."

###

"How long have I been out?" Emma asked, stretching.

"A few hours," Killian yawned. "It's hard to tell in this bloody boxcar. Dark as a tomb in here."

He wasn't kidding. Emma reached out, feeling for his face.

"Ow! That was my eye!"

"Sorry!" She gave a half-laugh. "I was just trying to find your face."

"Well, now you've blinded me."

"So you wear an eyepatch," she said, stretching again. "You'll fit right in with all the other pirates."

She could just imagine that brow of his going up. "I've spent a lifetime standing out, Swan. Killian Jones doesn't simply 'blend in.'"

She felt her way down his face until her fingers reached his lips, then she brought her face up to kiss him.

And bonked foreheads with him instead.

"Ow! Bloody hell!"

"Sorry! God, I'm so sorry!" She was really laughing now, even though she felt terrible about hurting him. "Geez, it really _is_ dark in here."

He reached out carefully, guiding her back to lay against him. His hand moved slowly from her waist, trailing up along her side.

"You just need to be more careful, that's all," he said. His voice sounded husky in the darkness. "Feel your way," he suggested.

His hand moved slowly from her ribs over to her arm, trailing up her neck to cup her face. He brushed his thumb slowly back and forth on her jaw, and she could feel his body shifting as he bent down. His breath feathered her lips, and she carefully - oh, so carefully - pushed up to meet him. He kissed her lingeringly, taking his time, then peppered her face and eyelids with smaller, softer kisses.

"There now," he said. "Properly kissed."

Emma tried to hold it back, but the yawn came out anyway.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Didn't mean to yawn in your face. Guess I'm still kinda tired."

"It's still a long way from dawn," Killian said. "And since my kisses are boring you, perhaps we're better off getting some more sleep."

Emma made a face, despite the fact that she knew he couldn't see it. "Okay," she agreed. "But lets stretch out this time. You're a great pillow, but my back is killing me."

She carefully moved off him, stretching out on her side and then reaching back for him to guide him in next to her. He came down behind her, sliding his arm around her.

"Ah. That _is_ better. Leather gets so...bunchy."

She was quiet for a long while, and Killian thought she might have fallen asleep, until her voice broke the silence.

"You don't bore me, you know."

He smiled against her hair. "That's a relief."

"Seriously. From the moment we met, you've never bored me."

He raised up a bit, wishing he could see her face. "We've certainly never lacked for conversation," he said. "And I could never be bored looking at you, love."

"And for the record, your kisses aren't boring either."

"Well, at least you haven't damaged my lips. Yet."

She smacked at his hand, where it lay on her stomach. "Go to sleep, Killian."

"You, too, love. We're together again. Everything will come 'round."

 _We're together again, everything will come 'round._ Emma smiled, knowing that somehow, he was right.


	7. Forward

"Dora?" Archie knocked once again. "Dora? It's Doctor Hopper. I'm here with the Nolans."

The door to the apartment opened a crack, and Dora peered out. She nodded slightly, opening the door wider. "Yes, of course. Come in."

She motioned them into the living room. "Neal is sleeping," she said quietly, taking a seat on the couch. "Henry came by – he's told me so much about you that I feel as if I know you already." She smiled tentatively.

Catherine smiled back, squeezing David's hand. David looked at Archie, who nodded reassuringly.

"Well, Henry is pretty persuasive," David said. "He's stuck by my side like glue since I lost my memory. He's even nicknamed me "Grandpa", for some reason." David smiled.

"He's a charming boy," Catherine said, and David gave her an odd look.

"Yes…" he agreed. "Charming. That's a good word to describe him." He looked faintly puzzled, then pasted a smile on his face.

"We're here to talk some more about what I'd spoken with you about yesterday," Archie said, taking a seat on the couch next to Dora. "We're very grateful to you for looking after Mary Margaret's child, but as your doctor, I am concerned that it's a lot to have on your plate. David and Catherine can give the child a stable home until Mary Margaret is…uh…recovered."

Dora looked stricken, and her eyes filled with tears. "But…I've been taking care of him," she said.

"And you've done well," Catherine said, taking a seat on the other side of Dora and reaching out for her hand. "But a child needs two parents, and David and I would give Neal everything he needs."

Dora nodded, dabbing at her eyes. "I suppose it's what's best," she agreed. "For the babe."

"We just want what's best," David reiterated.

"It's just…" Dora bit her lip, taking a breath to hold the tears at bay. "I've been alone for so long. Having Neal to look after has been wonderful. So wonderful." She looked at Archie helplessly. "But I understand if you don't think I'm best for him," she finished sadly.

Catherine looked over at David, who raised his brows in response. Archie gave Dora an empathetic smile.

"Dora, I think you have a great capacity for love and to be loved," Archie said. "But we both agree that you haven't reached the point in your life where you can easily accept that yet."

"No," she said softly. "I don't suppose that I am." She looked up at David. "Would you like to take him now? He's sleeping, but I can go and get him."

"Please," Catherine said.

"I've put his things in the corner there," Dora said. "And you're welcome to take the crib, as well."

"I'll come back for it with my truck," David said. "We've got Catherine's car right now."

Dora nodded. "I'll only be a moment."

She left the room, and Catherine began going through the bags in the corner.

"We'll have to get him some new clothes," she said, holding up a onesie. "These don't have much flair." She shoved them down in the bag, then slung the bag over her shoulder and reached for the car seat. "I'll get this set up in the car," she said, heading for the door.

David reached for a large bag of diapers, then stopped and turned to Archie. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I don't know that I'm much stronger of a choice for this kid."

"You're a fine choice," Archie said. "And I think this maybe might be just the thing you and Catherine need. Put you on the same team, so to speak."

Dora re-entered the room, and David watched her, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"He's just woken up," she said, rubbing a finger softly across his cheek. "He'll need to be fed soon." She looked up at David. "Did Dr. Hopper tell you about our arrangement at the hospital?"

David nodded. "Yes. We'll make sure to pick up the milk. Does he sleep through the night?"

"Usually," she answered, smiling down at Neal. "He also eats solid food a little. Cereal and some fruits and vegetables. He loves creamed spinach."

David smiled. "I'll remember that." He stepped closer. "May I…?"

"Of course," she said, carefully passing the baby over. David reached out and settled Neal into the crook of his arm. The baby looked up at him, making a soft gurgling sound. His hand reached up, grasping David's nose firmly, and when David made a face, the baby smiled, as if delighted.

"You're a natural," Archie said, clapping David on the back.

"He seems to like me," David agreed. He looked up at Dora. "We'll take good care of him, Dora. And you're welcome to come and visit him anytime. I mean, we're going to need a babysitter now, right?"

Dora smiled, though it was plain to see she was still very torn at the thought of losing Neal. "Of course," she said. "Anytime. And if I'm not available, Henry would be happy to do it. Neal adores him."

"Is that so?" David smiled down at Neal, making silly cooing noises as the front door opened and Catherine came back in.

"Are we ready?" she asked.

David nodded. "Yeah. We have to stop by the hospital, though – he's due for a feeding."

"Why don't I drop you off there?" Catherine said. "I can take this stuff home, stop and shop for a few more things, and then pick you up in the truck so we can come and get the crib?"

"Oh…okay," David said. "If you're sure I won't drop him or something." He smiled down at Neal again, and Neal let out a squeal of delight.

"He likes you," Dora said quietly.

"See?" Catherine said with a smile. "It's all going to be good." She turned and walked out the door.

David looked over at Archie. "Maybe now I can talk her into a bigger house. I wish she'd hear me out on that."

"You'll have lots to do while you figure that out," Archie said.

Neal began to fuss slightly, and David moved him to his shoulder, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Did you have younger brothers and sisters?" Archie asked him. "You seem like you've done this before."

"I – I don't think so," David said, a frown creasing his forehead. "I'll have to ask Catherine. She'd know."

He turned once more to Dora. "Thanks for taking such good care of him. I meant what I said…anytime you want to visit, the door is open."

"Thank you," she said softly. She stepped over, getting up on her tiptoes to kiss Neal gently on the forehead. "Be well, little one. I'll miss you."

Neal looked back at her solemnly as he chewed on his fist, drooling all over David's shoulder.

###

"So your grandfather is picking him up today?" Regina paced back and forth.

"Right now," Henry said. "I'll stop by and see him later just to see if anything's changed."

"That's a good idea. No change in your grandmother, either?" she asked.

"Nothing yet."

"And Ariel's working on getting Hook out of Neverland. Not the easiest of tasks."

"Neither is breaking someone out of prison," Henry said morosely. "I tried to call every prison in Arizona and I got nowhere. They don't give out inmate information."

"If we could find Sidney," Regina said, tapping her chin. "Maybe he could –"

"Sidney's stuck in your house. In a mirror." Henry said. "And he has no idea what's happened, either."

"Of course," Regina sighed. "Stuck in a mirror. Great."

"Maybe if we could find Belle?" Henry suggested. "I looked for her at the shop, but it's all closed up and she's not at my grandfather's house. She might be able to figure things out."

"Belle?" Regina stopped pacing. "I know where she is. I know exactly where she is. Henry, you need to go to the hospital."

###

"Dr. Whale?"

"David!" Dr. Whale called out, stepping out from behind the nurse's desk. "I'd heard you were fostering the baby. How's that going?"

David looked down at Neal uncertainly. "I'll have to let you know. We just picked him up, and Dora tells me he's due for a feeding."

Whale nodded. "That's right. We are doing some pumping, as well, but if you or Catherine could bring him by at least once or twice a day - the bonding is important. It'll only be for a few more months until he's old enough to wean."

David smiled. "Of course. We want what's best for him."

"I'll have Rose show you the way," he gestured over to one of the nurses, who stepped out from behind the counter, motioning for David to follow her. She opened the door to the private area where Mary Margaret lay sleeping, and David followed her inside. Neal, as if sensing that food was near, started fussing.

"He's hungry, all right," Rose said, smiling. "Here, I'll get him set up."

David turned away, averting his eyes as she arranged Neal at Snow's breast, covering him partially to maintain some modesty. She arranged a pillow behind him to keep him from rolling.

"There now," she said. "He's a pro - he'll let you know when he's done and I'll be back to switch him to the other side."

"You have to do that?" David asked.

She laughed a little. "Yes. Don't want to be lopsided."

He laughed, too. "Never thought of it that way, but I guess it makes sense."

"I'll be right outside if you need me," she said, peeking at Neal once more before she stepped outside and the door closed behind her.

David looked around helplessly. He felt like the ultimate third wheel, but at the same time, he felt like he ought to stay, just in case Neal squirmed away or something.

He pulled up a chair to the side of Mary Margaret's bed and looked at her curiously.

She was beautiful. He had no memory of ever meeting her, but he must have, because she seemed terribly familiar. Whoever the jerk was that left her alone to raise a baby must have been an incredible fool. From what everyone told him, she was a wonderful person. Kind. Caring. A schoolteacher. And now, to have this happen...

He let out a huffing sound that was something like a laugh.

"Well, if we aren't living proof that bad things happen for no reason, I don't know who is," he said softly. "But I'll do the best I can for Neal. I promise you."

He reached out and closed his hand around hers.

And then his eyes flew open wide as she squeezed his fingers.

###

"Where are we?" Emma asked. "We seem to be slowing down."

"I'm as lost as you are," Killian answered, trying to peer out through the slight crack in the door. "I wouldn't recognize the scenery regardless."

"Let me over there," Emma said, moving up to the door. "At least we're in the center of town," she said. "If we slow a little more, we might be able to jump."

"You don't want to wait until the train stops?"

"Better to get off before that happens," Emma said. "Just in case they're looking - and they probably are."

"Good point," he agreed. "And perhaps in town we can find a new cellphone."

"That's a great idea," Emma said. "If I can call Henry, we can try to get more information on this strange woman."

The car lurched sharply, and Emma fell into Killian.

"We're slowing down even more," she said, pushing back over to the door again. "It's a crossing - they have to go slower. We're not going to get a better chance than this."

"Agreed." Killian pulled hard on the door, and even though the train had slowed quite a bit, the ground still seemed to be rushing by at an alarming rate. Emma braced herself on the door frame.

"Don't think about it," she said. "Just jump."

"Don't worry, Swan - I'm right behind you." He moved in closer, and they both watched for an opening, trying to lean back into the shadows so people on the crossroads that were waiting wouldn't see them.

"There! Up ahead!" Emma called out, pointing at a section of grass sloping down just on the other side of the curve they were entering.

"I see it!" Killian shouted back. "Ready?"

"Ready - one, two, now!" Emma jumped, with Killian leaping right after. They hit the ground hard, rolling over and over until they landed in a heap at the bottom of the hill, coughing and groaning.

"Emma! Are you all right?" Killian was up on his elbows, crawling over to her.

"I took a rock to the knee, and my backside is sore, but I think it's just a bruise," she said, rubbing it gingerly.

"Well, I'd be more than happy to help with that."

She looked over at him with a smirk that changed to alarm. "You're bleeding!"

He swiped at a gash on his forehead. "My hook caught me on the way down. Either that or I re-opened the wound you gave me last night when you tried to blind me."

The smirk was back. "Don't be a baby." She pulled the sleeve of her coveralls down, pulling it in her fist so she could dab at his head. "Let's go find a store, and a meal and a room. In that order."

"Any idea where we are?" he asked, glancing around.

"Let's get back up the hill - the landmarks were going by too fast and it was hard to see from the train. We're still in the desert, but that covers a lot of territory." She took a step and limped a little. Killian stepped up, sliding his arm around her.

"I've got you, Swan."

She smiled at him. "I know."

He helped her up the hill, and Emma's eyes widened as she got a glimpse of their surroundings. They were on the very outskirts of town, but there was no mistaking the town.

"So where are we?" he asked.

"We're in luck," she said. "You're going to have us bankrolled in no time. We're someplace that's very, very easy to get lost in. "

"And where is that, exactly?"

She smiled a cat-like smile. "Vegas, baby."


	8. Working It Through

"I'm sorry...I know I'm early..." Dora started to back out through the doorway, but Archie stopped her.

"No, no...it's fine, Dora. Please, come in."

She stood nervously in the center of the room, looking around. "Henry told me that you're good to talk to."

Archie's smile got wider. "He's a great kid."

"Yes. He's very kind."

There was an awkward silence, broken when Archie finally cleared his throat. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Thank you." She said politely, sitting on the very edge of the couch. She tried not to fidget as Archie stared. Finally, he must've realized he was doing it because he cleared his throat again.

"Why don't we just get to know each other for a while," he suggested. "You're so new, I don't really know much about you."

Dora's entire demeanor changed. She wrapped her arms around herself, and her face became shuttered, closed off.

"That's probably for the best," she murmured.

Archie gave her an appraising look, and she couldn't help but notice the kindness in his eyes.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that," he offered. "Now...what brings you here today?"

"I was under the impression that you know most everyone in town," she said.

Archie nodded. "I suppose that's fair to say. Are you looking for someone? Is that it?"

She wet her lips nervously, not meeting his eyes. "Something like that. Someone who collects...old things."

Archie thought for a moment, pursing his lips. "Nobody like that in town," he said. "But we do have an old, abandoned pawn shop. The owner has long since left town. You could apply to the mayor's office to find out who's got ownership now."

Dora stood abruptly. "The mayor - where do I find him?"

Archie pushed up to his feet as well. "Her, actually. Mayor Regina Mills just became mayor again for her second term, since another candidate hasn't materialized yet. She works out of her home for the time being."

"Can you supply me with the address?"

"Yes, of course. It's just down the street. Her husband is one of my oldest friends."

"Thank you." She moved to go past him to the door, and Archie reached out, touching her arm gently.

"Dora? How are you doing? Without Neal, I mean."

Her face became sad again, and the melancholy in her voice pulled at Archie. "It's lonely," she answered in a near whisper. She looked up at him, and the sadness in her gaze made him want to...no, that was highly inappropriate. She was his patient, after all.

"Have you ever been lonely, Dr. Hopper?"

"Archie," he said. "I-It's my name. You can call me Archie - if you'd like to, that is."

"Archie." She smiled slightly and he felt an overwhelming need to reassure her.

"I think we all feel alone sometimes, Dora. It's human nature."

"I know all about human nature," she said in a hard voice. She reached for the doorknob. "And some people are better off alone. It's easier."

"Easier," Archie agreed. "But not better. Think about that, Dora. And lets talk again tomorrow. All right?"

She shook her head no, but somehow, her mouth opened, and said "yes" instead. And as she walked down the street, she tried very hard not to think too much about the kindness in his eyes.

###

"I'm telling you, doctor - she squeezed my fingers."

"It could have been an auto-reflexive response, particularly since she was receiving endocrine stimulation from the nursing," Whale theorized. "She's not responsive now."

"I know what I felt!" David insisted.

"David," Catherine said soothingly. "Maybe you dozed off a bit while you were waiting -"

"I know what I felt," he insisted stubbornly.

Whale rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll run some tests - basic bloodwork, maybe a neuro-response panel. There was a slight jump in her EKG, but nothing out of bounds."

"You should do that," David said. "Definitely. I'm telling you - she was trying to communicate."

"Just don't get your hopes up," Whale cautioned. "People in this sort of a vegetative state can show variations from day-to-day. It doesn't mean they're waking up."

David sighed. "Okay. I'd just feel better if I know we're doing all we can," he said, glancing down at the baby in his arms. "For Neal."

"We're doing everything we can," Whale assured him.

"Let's go," Catherine said, reaching for the insulated bag carrying the breast milk that nurse had put down. "Do you want me to hold the baby?"

David shook his head. "No, I've got him." He looked down at the baby that was sleeping peacefully in his arms. "He's a sweet kid. Didn't give his mother a bit of trouble."

Catherine folded her hand around David's arm. "I'm his mother now," she reminded him, then she pulled him toward the door. David's face was troubled as he looked back at Mary Margaret one last time.

Dr. Whale turned back to Mary Margaret, placing his fingers at the pulse on her wrist. He looked down at her, pursing his lips.

"You don't want me trying to figure this out," he mumbled, reaching in the pocket of his jacket for his flask. "I'll just end up killing you. Your better off sleeping than under my care."

He took a healthy swig, then mumbled a couple of swear words under his breath. A moment later, he was hastily stuffing the flask back in his pocket.

"Henry!" he called out, as Henry stepped through the door. "Didn't see you come in."

"I need your help," Henry said. "How do I see someone who's in the isolation ward?"

Whale looked taken aback. "You mean downstairs?"

"Yes. There's someone there who doesn't belong there. I need to get her out."

"Henry," Whale said reasonably, "You don't just check someone out of the isolation unit. People there have been committed, and for a very good reason. They're a danger to themselves or to others."

"But not this girl," Henry pleaded. "Just come with me. Examine her. You'll see."

"Henry -"

"Please! I know you doubt yourself, but this girl needs our help." He stared at Whale, his eyes pleading. "Please."

Whale let out a sigh. "I can give her a physical exam, but you'll have to get her examined by a psychiatric professional as well. The release orders have to be countersigned, and she has to be remanded into the custody of a trusted individual."

"Like the mayor?"

Whale nodded. "Yes. Like the mayor. And she'll need to be supervised - and again, all this is provided she passes both the physical and psychological examinations."

"I'll got get Archie while you're doing the physical exam." Henry moved over to the door that led to the back stairwell into the basement.

"Henry, wait. There's an access code -"

"My Mo- I mean, the mayor - gave me the access code," Henry said, punching it in. "She's down there, and we've got to get her out. Come on!"

Henry took off down the stairs, and Whale threw up his hands, following after.

###

Emma and Killian had a long walk ahead of them, and by the time they reached the edge of the older part of the strip, they were hot, parched and dusty as hell. They found a very small casino not far off Fremont Street that had clearly seen better days.

"How are you at poker?" Emma asked as they walked into the cool darkness. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light.

"This is a gaming hall?" Killian asked. "Is there anything with dice?"

"Craps, but I warn you - you can't use your weighted dice here," she cautioned. "They'll catch you and we'll both be in jail. Every casino has security people and tons of camera surveillance to deter that sort of stuff."

"Then I'll just have to depend on my own good fortunes," he said, giving her a rakish grin.

"Do you have any money?" she asked. "We have to have something to start with."

"And I suppose you're averse to picking pockets?" he said, raising a brow.

"That's a definite 'no.' They'll see that, too." She pointed up at the nearest camera mounted in the ceiling.

"I suppose we'll have to rely on our charms, then," he said. He gave her an appraising look. "If I could find you a dress, we'd be flush with cash within the hour."

Emma gave him a smirk, and then a nudge. "That might not be necessary. Check out the lady with the rocks on her fingers."

Killian gave a casual glance over Emma's right shoulder, to the garishly dressed older woman at the nearest slot machine. She had gaudy rings on every finger, hair dyed an unnatural shade of red, and entirely too much lipstick and eyeliner, particularly for a woman of her advanced years. She eyed Killian with obvious interest, giving him a wink as he smiled in her direction.

"Go wash up or something, Swan" he murmured, keeping his smile in place. "I'll go have a chat with the lovely...lady."

"Knock 'em dead, sailor." She patted his back and then made herself scarce. Killian walked over to the older woman, sliding onto the stool at the open machine next to her.

"Hello love," he said, locking his blue eyes on hers with deadly intent. "What are we playing?"

Forty-eight minutes later, he found Emma sipping a cool drink in a darkened corner. He stopped in front of her, reaching down for her hand. "Are you ready to go, love?"

Emma's eyes widened. "You've snookered her already?"

Kiillian's eyes widened as well. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You took her money?"

"I _borrowed_ the money she so kindly offered me," he clarified. "Who bought you the drink?"

"It turns out men don't really care if you're wearing dirty coveralls," she said with a shrug. "They'll still buy you a drink."

"You could be wearing your mother's clothes and I'd buy you a drink," Killian said with a grin. "Or even nothing at all, if you prefer."

She finished the last of her drink, then stood up and grabbed his hand. "Come on, loverboy. Let's get some food."

Emma pulled him along toward the nearest restaurant, which was right next door to a boutique that sold a variety of clothing and jewelry.

"Did you make enough to buy me some clothes?"

He gave her a slightly offended look. "So little faith in me, Swan." He reached in his pocket, dropping a large roll of bills in her hand.

"Holy cow! She gave you all this?"

"I paid her back once I'd made my own money," he said. "And she started me with far less than this."

"This should bankroll us all the way home. We just need to figure out the best way to get there without being noticed."

"Already taken care of, love," Killian said, gloating. "My flamboyant benefactress has kindly offered us passage on her private jet. She lives in New York, and will be happy to take us back with her tomorrow evening."

"Killian! That's perfect! No security, no trail - you're amazing!" she hugged him tight. "You must've really done a number on her!"

"I was merely my charming self," he said. "And the only request she made of me was that I join her organization. Oh, and you're my sister, if she should ask."

"Your sister." She gave him a look.

"I can manage to keep my hand off you for the length of the flight. At least I think I can," he qualified.

"Mmmm-hmm," she said doubtfully. "Come on, let's find me something to wear and then find some food. I'm starving."

"And then we can find a room," he suggested. She gave him another look. "Or two." He raised his brows, trying to look innocent.

"We'll see." She gave him a mysterious smile, and headed through the door of the boutique. He followed her with a slow, spreading grin on his face.

"So what's this organization you agreed to join?" she asked, flipping through a rack of dresses.

He shrugged. "Something called 'The Mile High Club.'"


	9. Touched

"With that dress, we could bankroll the entire town, love," Killian said, eyeing the red dress Emma was holding out from the rack.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's not exactly practical, and you've made us more than enough money." She stuffed the dress back in the rack, and Killian reached over her, pulling it off the rack.

"Worry about practical tomorrow," he said. "You deserve pretty things. Buy the damned dress and lets have a night out. Eat dinner. Go dancing."

Emma gnawed her lip, then nodded. "Okay. But only because I've been stuck in prison," she said. "And I'm going to need shoes to go with it."

"Buy whatever you want, Swan. I can get us more money if we need it."

"I think you just want to see me in a low-cut dress," she remarked, grabbing the dress out of his hands.

"I'm a gentleman, love. I'm not dead."

"Come on. I can't wait to get out of these stinking coveralls." She grabbed a pair of jeans with designer pockets, underwear, a tee shirt and button up shirt to complete her purchases, then headed over to the register. Killian laid his own purchases down on the counter beside hers.

" _Another_ leather jacket?" she noted.

"I like leather," he said. "And this one has zappers."

"Zippers. They're called zippers. And it looks like something a bad eighties hair band would wear."

He gave her a look, and slid the jacket off the counter. "Very well, then," he looked over at the salesgirl, who was trying her hardest not to stare - unsuccessfully.

"What do you suggest?" He asked her.

"Me?" The girl looked flustered. "Uh...are you going out someplace or staying in?"

"Out," Killian said.

"In," Emma answered at the same time.

"First we're going out," Killian amended smoothly, "then we'll be staying in." His eyes held Emma's and she tried not to notice the salesgirl, staring at the both of them with her mouth open.

"We have a really nice jacket," the girl said, coming around the counter. "And if you pair it up with a button-up shirt, we can take 10% right now."

Killian gave her a killer smile. "By all means," he said, gesturing toward the rack of jackets.

"Do you know your size? I can measure you if you need me to," the girl volunteered - a little too eagerly.

"How about you ring me up," Emma suggested, "And I can get changed while you wrap a tape measure around his chest and shoulders?" She gave the girl a pointed look and she hurried back behind the counter as Killian carefully bit back a smile. A few moments later, she'd removed the sensor tags and found Emma a pair of accompanying red stiletto sandals, and Emma headed off for the fitting room.

"Don't take too long," Emma called over her shoulder. "He's got plans."

Killian raised both brows and smiled apologetically at the salesgirl. "Now then," he said. "Let's get on with the measuring, shall we?"

The girl reached for her tape measure with a decidedly shaky hand.

###

David stared down at the book in his hands, and shook his head. He'd been on his way to pick up Catherine from one of Neal's feeding when he passed Henry on the way out, in the company of Dr. Whale and a rather bedraggled looking woman. Henry had said hello, and then a few moments later, he came running back, pushing the book into his hands while insisting that he try reading it to Mary Margaret.

Dr. Whale had rolled his eyes, and for some reason, that somehow made David want to try it. It was crazy, but since it was his turn to bring Neal, he wanted to try it. The nurse had already come in and settled the baby into place, so David pulled up a chair, laying the book on the edge of the bed.

"Henry says this is your favorite book," he said. He glanced over at the door, but none of the nurses seemed to be paying him much attention. He leaned forward slightly.

"Look, I know what I felt," he said. "If you're trying to...communicate somehow...I just..." he trailed off uncertainly. "I'm listening. I'm here, and I'm listening."

He opened the book, pulling it onto his lap and began reading the first story. He found himself drawn into it, the words passing before his eyes in a blur as he seemed to know them all by heart even as he read them. The stories flowed from one to the next, and he kept turning pages, caught up in all of them, story after story, so strange yet so familiar...

"These stories," he mumbled. "I know them. I _know_ that I know them."

Neal made a frustrated sound as he slipped off the breast and David closed up the book, laying it on the bed. He picked Neal up, leaning him on his shoulder and patting his back to burp him as he glanced out toward the nurse's station. It was empty - they must all be on their rounds. He wasn't sure he knew what to do here...but surely Neal could do the rest if he just got him close, right?

He shifted Mary Margaret's gown to the other side, trying not look too lingeringly as he settled Neal against her, carefully turning the baby's head toward the waiting meal. Neal rooted for a moment, then found his target, curling his fist near his face and suckling contentedly.

"There," David said, his eyes crinkling with his smile. "I'm practically a pro. And he definitely is." He stroked Neal's downy soft head as he looked down on Mary Margaret's peaceful face.

Something about her, laying there in quiet repose seemed to call to him. His hand moved almost without a signal from his brain, reaching out to stroke her hair, then sliding down to brush his knuckles gently against her cheek.

"You are _so_ beautiful," he whispered. His hand moved over to touch Neal's head again. "Both of you. Whoever it was that left you behind was a fool. He doesn't deserve you."

He knew it was all kinds of wrong, but he just couldn't stop himself. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips.

Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"David?"

He looked at her, feeling like he was swimming up from a long way down. The room seemed to move and shift around them as her equally startled eyes met his. The name came to his mind and formed on his lips, and he knew, he knew, he knew the truth of it.

"Snow?"

###

Belle stretched, realizing she was warm and her bed felt incredibly soft. She must be dreaming, but it felt wonderful and she didn't want to open her eyes and ruin it. Finally, she realized she couldn't ignore her body's basic needs anymore and with a sigh, she opened her eyes.

"Belle?" Henry leaned in. "Belle, do you know who I am?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "No..." she sat up abruptly, looking around. "W-where am I?"

Henry looked over at Regina who raised her brows. "She's lost all her memories, just like David."

"Y-you called me Belle..." Belle said softly. "Is that my name?"

"Yes. Your name is Belle," Henry said. "And I'm Henry and this is my -" He stopped and Regina gave a slight shake of her head. "This is Mayor Mills," he continued. "Do you know how you got put in the isolation ward?"

"Is that where I was? They kept giving me pills..."

"We got that stopped," Regina said, moving around to stand at the foot of her bed. "And I had you remanded into my custody. Dr. Hopper will be here later this afternoon to examine you, and I think he'll agree that you don't have go back there."

Belle's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know who put me there, or why. I don't even know how long I've been there."

Regina looked uncomfortable. "You haven't been in too long, from what we can tell."

"You used to be the town librarian," Henry said. "Do you remember that?"

"Librarian?" She looked from Henry to Regina. "I don't remember. I'm sorry."

"Do you remember a man named Gold?" Regina asked carefully. Belle shook her head silently.

"Well, I guess the first thing we -" Regina cut off as the phone in Henry's pocket suddenly rang. He reached down, pulling it out and then he made a confused face when he saw the number.

"Who is it?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. I don't recognize the number," he said. "Area code 702." He held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?"

And his face lit up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center and his voice was nearly a shout.

"Mom!"

###

Emma tapped the button on the phone, ending the conversation, and setting her forehead against the back of the phone she'd just bought.

"He's okay. He's really okay," she said.

Killian gave her a crooked smile as he pulled her close and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you so? The lad has his mother's smarts. We'll be there tomorrow and he and Regina will be that much closer to figuring it all out."

"I haven't felt this relieved since -" she stopped.

He leaned back to look at her. "Since when?"

"Since I looked up from a dirty oven and saw you standing there."

"Did you ever doubt me?"

She reached up and carefully pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "You know," she said, "I didn't. Not really."

"Nothing could have kept me from finding you, Swan."

She leaned in, and she didn't have to lean far. His lips settled on hers with their usual practiced skill and she sank into the feel of him, her hands sliding up his chest and around his neck as the kiss went on. He pulled back, only to dive in once more, his lips pulling at hers again and again until he finally stopped out of sheer self-preservation.

"It's been too long, love," he said huskily, touching his forehead to hers.

"I've missed you, too," she murmured. "But this is going to get embarrassing if we don't slow it down."

"Well then," he said, sliding his hand down to twine it with hers. "I promised you dinner and dancing, and as we've already eaten, that only leaves one more thing before we can call it an evening."

"Dancing?" Emma raised a brow and gave him a sideways smirk. "Gotta warn you...I learned to dance from the best."

He smiled back, and brought her hand up to his lips. "I've hardly begun to show you what we can do together, love." He started walking backwards, pulling her through the doorway in the club area of the casino. The club was more of a cabaret, and the sultry sounds of a woman singing "Unforgettable" carried across the dance floor.

"You know this kind of dancing?" Emma asked doubtfully.

He led her to the center of the floor,weaving his way through the couples around them, and then he pulled her slowly into his arms, cradling her close. His lips brushed her ear, sending tingles down her spine as he spoke.

"I know how to hold you well enough," he said softly. "And I'm sure we'll move together perfectly," he added. "With...or without music."

He moved them in a slow, swaying, sensuous circle around the dance floor, and Emma laid her head against his shoulder, enjoying the warm feeling of his hand against her lower back, the slow slide of his thumb as it caressed her. She felt his lips against the skin of her neck and shoulder.

"Killian..." she murmured dreamily.

"Yes, love?"

"I think we only need one room."

His hand tightened and she could feel his smile against her skin.


	10. Accommodations

Dora tried to close the apartment door, but the bow on her shoulder got in the way. She shifted it to the side, and tried again.

"What are you doing with the bow?" Henry's voice came from the stairs, and she turned to face him.

"I was going to go hunting. The food is running out."

Henry gave her an odd look. "The food is running out? In _that_ apartment?"

"I did find metal crocks with pictures of food on them," she explained. "But they're sealed and I cannot seem to open them with my knife."

"Metal crocks?" Henry thought for a moment. "Cans? You mean cans?"

She looked at him blankly, and Henry gave her a smile. "I think I can help you," he said. "Come on. You can't hunt around here, anyway."

"The woods have game, surely," she remarked.

"They do, but you don't have to go to all that trouble," he said. He dug in his pocket for his key and opened the door.

Dora looked at him warily. "Why do you have a key to the door?" she asked.

"Mary Margaret and I are friends," he lied smoothly. "This is her place."

Dora took the bow from her shoulder and followed him in, laying it down. "I hope she won't mind me staying here," she said. "I had nowhere else to go and Neal's things were here. I suppose I should go, now that he's...gone."

The sadness in her voice pulled at him, and Henry really didn't know what to say. If she really didn't have anywhere else to go... He tried to look at the situation objectively. The woman might be a stranger, but she'd taken care of Neal when neither of his grandparents could. And when it came time to give Neal back - to his grandfather at least - she did the right thing.

His Mothers would think it was better to keep her somewhere that they could keep an eye on her. He was sure of that.

"I think Mary Margaret would be fine with you being here - until she wakes up, I mean."

"If you let me hunt, I can replenish her stores," Dora offered. "I'm quite good with a bow."

"So is she," Henry said. He leaned back against the counter. "You're not from around here, are you?"

She looked away, nervously. "As I said, I'm new to this town."

"I mean, you're not even from this realm. Are you from the Enchanted Forest?"

Her entire demeanor changed, and her face turned stony. "I came from there. That is not my home." She eyed Henry shrewdly. "How do you know of the Enchanted Forest?

Henry shrugged, keeping his voice nonchalant. "I read a lot. Now let me show you how to use a stove and a microwave." He reached into the drawer by the sink, pulling out a can opener. "And one of these."

###

"Are you sure you shouldn't be spending the evening with your sugar mama?" Emma joked as Killian stared blankly at the credit-card style room key.

"She's got tickets to a show tonight and then she spending time with friends," he said. "How the devil does this work, anyway?"

"Here, give it to me," Emma said, holding out her hand. "You slide it in here, like this." She pushed the card in the slot, waited for the green light, then opened the door. Her jaw dropped a moment later.

"What the - " She turned to look at Killian incredulously.

"They call it The Pirate Suite," he said. "And of course, that meant we had to have it."

Emma turned back, trying to take it all in. The bed was shaped like a ship, complete with a canopy made to look like sails. The walls were floor-to-ceiling murals of the open sea, with other ships in the distance. The carpet was a dark blue with white swirls, making it look like an ocean with whitecaps.

"This is...WOW." Emma didn't quite know what to say.

"That's not all," Killian said, taking her by the hand and leading her into the bath.

"Holy shit!" She clapped a hand over her mouth at the expletive, but Killian only grinned wider. "Sorry," she mumbled. "But this is really too much!"

The large, sunken bathtub was shaped like a treasure chest, painted gold and black with the lid propped open against the wall. There was a mirror inlaid into it, too.

"Oh, we'll have some fun with that, Swan," Killian promised, running the back of his hand along her neck. She leaned back into him, still pleasantly rosey from her last glass of wine and that turn on the dance floor.

"You really know how to dance," she said, laying her head back against him. He slid his arms around her, pressing his lips in a slow, meandering path up her throat.

"I told you, Swan," he said, between soft, plucking kisses, "We know how to move together."

"I'm thinking we should move to the other room," Emma said, sliding her hand up to twine her fingers with his. She took a step toward the door, but her stiletto heel caught on the seam of one of the marbled tiles and she lost her balance. Killian was behind her in an instant, scooping her up in his arms.

"I've got you, love." He smiled down at her as he walked her through the doorway toward the bed. "You're not drunk, are you?"

She gave him a look. "Please. I barely have a buzz going. I'm breaking in new shoes on a tile floor."

"Good," he said, releasing her legs and letting her slide down the front of him in a very delicious way. "I need you wide awake. I've waited a long time for this."

Emma wrapped her arms around his neck. "You afraid I'm going to regret this in the morning?"

He raised a brow and looked good and offended. "Not likely. I'll make sure of that, love."

The look in his eyes reinforce that promise, and she gave him an answering smirk as he lowered his head and kissed her with an intensity that should have scorched her. His arms pulled her in tight as the kiss went on and his lips played over hers with a finesse that had her clinging to him and moving restlessly against him. She started to pull him down onto the bed, but instead, of following her down, he paused, reaching for her foot.

"Let's get these off," he said. "Don't want you having any accidents." He slid the straps down and pulled first one shoe off and then the other, tossing them aside. Emma started to reach for him, but Killian took a step back.

"Just a moment," he said, smiling mischievously. He walked over to the table near the bed and picked up what looked like a remote control. He studied it a moment, and then punched three buttons in succession.

The room suddenly filled with the soft, ambient sounds of waves and gull calls, then the lights began to dim, and on the wall opposite the bed, an orange-red glow lit the mural, giving the impression of the sun sinking low on the horizon. Then the soft whir of a fan rustled the sails.

Killian set the remote down, surveying the room with his hand on his hip.

"Not bad," he said approvingly. "Now all we're missing is the fresh sea air - or the smell of a half-dozen poorly washed men."

"How about we skip that part," Emma said, scrunching up her nose with a smile.

He moved back to the bed, putting a knee down and sliding down next to her. "Agreed," he said, pulling her back into his arms. "Now...where were we?"

Emma's hands moved across his chest, feeling the planes and muscles beneath his shirt, then up over his shoulders before she slid her fingers into his hair, moving against his body as he kissed her over and over again.

His mouth moved to her neck and she slid a leg up against his hip. He brought his hand up, just above her knee, pushing her dress up and sliding along her thigh. Emma made an appreciative sound as his fingers shifted, tracing patterns across her inner thigh as his mouth played across her neck and collarbone, his tongue swirling a trail down to the tops of her breasts where they pushed up through the dress.

"Emma..."

Killian said her name in a low voice just before his mouth closed over hers again, kissing her hungrily and with far less restraint. She responded in kind, her fingers tightening in his hair as she felt his hand moving inside and up her leg. Her body took over, pushing up to meet his palm as it rested at the apex of her thighs. His fingers grazed the crease where her leg joined her body and an instant later, he was touching her, underneath her underwear.

She felt like she was coming out of her skin - like it was stretched too tightly. She made another sound deep in her throat as his thumb slid into her folds and circled the bud of sensation, pressing into it as he continued to kiss her with more ferocity. She arched her back as she felt first one, then another finger slide inside her, pushing and stroking as his thumb circled and flicked and rubbed. Her hands were all over him, stroking his back, sliding down to grip his backside and pull him even closer.

"Oh, God, Killian...please -" she ended her plea in a moan, tugging at his clothes, and he finally relented, pulling back to help her before he shifted her to her side to get the zipper on her dress. For a one-handed man, he managed to get them both naked in moments. Then he settled his chest against her, the crisp hair teasing her nipples as she welcomed the weight of him pressing her down into the mattress.

"Slow down, love..."

He was panting, fighting himself as she tilted her hips up and he slid into the scalding heat of her, but Emma didn't want it slow. She reached her hands up, her fingers tangling in his hair as she arched into him hard, and he was lost, sinking deeply into her over and over, hearing her gasps and frantic breathing echoing with his, and her hands were all over him, sliding over his shoulders, stroking down his back and buttocks as the rhythm of his hips accelerated.

He got an arm under one of her legs and with a grimace, he plowed even deeper somehow, sure he must be hurting her, but she met him thrust for thrust, clenching him and pulling him in until he felt her legs tighten, and that glorious face tilted back. Her teeth bit down on her upper lip, and the sound she made carried him over the edge, shuddering hard as she milked him dry.

He couldn't move for what felt like an eternity. He had to be crushing her. He pushed himself up to his elbows.

She was laying with her eyes closed, and a smile on her lips. Well, that was a good sign, he supposed.

"Are you all right, love? I should move..."

She slid an arm up around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "Mmmm," she said. "You feel good. Really good."

"You feel like heaven," he said, with a crooked grin. "Like I've shuffled off my mortal coil - which would be a small price to pay for what I just experienced."

She pushed a lock of hair off his forehead. "I gotta admit," she said, "You're every bit as good as your word. That was amazing."

"I'm sorry it all seemed to happen so fast," he apologized. "I was trying linger over you, but -"

"To hell with that. I wanted you."

The force of those words and the look in her eyes sent a signal straight to his core, impossibly making him hard again. She smiled as she felt him stir against her, and she lifted her face, kissing him softly.

"You can linger this time, if you want to," she offered.

He was only too happy to oblige.


	11. Coming Around

Henry stood at the door of the town library, fishing around on the large keyring he'd gotten from his grandfather's drawer in the pawn shop.

"Just a minute," he said. "I only have a few more to try."

"Look," said Belle. "I don't know how you think this will help."

"I know you don't remember," Henry answered, "But you were the town librarian once. I was hoping this would help bring things back to you."

Belle shrugged. "If you say so."

Henry finally managed to find the right key, and the door swung open. He motioned for Belle to come inside and she stepped in uncertainly, not really sure of herself at all. He started to close the door behind them and she continued to stand in the center of the room, looking around nervously.

"I don't really think -"

"I can leave the door open, if you want," Henry offered. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you might be nervous in a closed-off place."

"Thank you," she answered. "I'd appreciate that."

"Belle, this was one of the places where you spent the most time. You love books," Henry said. "Maybe if you just...I don't know...touch them or something."

She raised her brows. " _Touch_ them?"

"Okay, maybe it was a stupid idea."

Belle stepped closer. "Did you need to put your book back?" she asked, pointed at the story book under his arm. "Is that also why you came here?"

"What? This?" Henry pulled the book out. "No, it just has stories in it that I like." He laid it down on the counter, and Belle leaned in, looking at it.

Henry narrowed his eyes, staring at her. "Let me show you one of my favorites," he said. "It's called 'Beauty and the Beast'." He flipped through the pages, until he located Belle's story, then he pushed the book in front of her.

She gave him a tentative smile, scanning the page. "It's an interesting story," she said, but her brow knit in confusion. "Is this a true story? Are these people you know?"

"Yes."

She glanced at him curiously, but he didn't elaborate. She returned her attention to the book, flipping through to the next page. Henry's eyes shifted away at the sight of someone passing by the door. He walked over, peeking his head out and looking left, then right.

"What is she doing down at the shop?" he asked aloud.

###

"How's our hostess?" Emma asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"Sound asleep in her bedroom cabin," Killian said with relief, sitting down in the airplane seat next to her. "For a while there I was sure the old girl was going to drink me under the table."

"Smart thinking to bring a bottle of rum with you."

"Well, I should have brought two," he complained. "Particularly after she took her clothes off."

"She took her -" Emma clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "Killian, she's got to be seventy-five years old."

"Seventy-eight," he grumbled. "And she has thing for men with hairy chests." He reached across her to the glass of wine she had in her hand and took it from her. "I don't suppose there's anything stronger out here."

"Nope."

"It'll have to do," he glowered, tipping the glass to his lips and draining it.

"Did you have to...you know..."

He gave her a look that said she was crazy. "Certainly not. I suggested a nightcap first. Or two. Or ten."

"Good strategy. So she's going to wake up disappointed."

He shrugged. "She did take a...what did she call it? A 'selfie' while she pressed her withered breasts against my naked chest, so she'll have that to cherish. Meanwhile, I'll need another bottle of rum to erase that memory."

"Way to take one for the team." Emma bit her lip once more, trying to hold the laughter back.

"Oh, go ahead, Swan, laugh all you'd like. You should have heard her explaining the seductive virtues of being able to remove your teeth."

She buried her head on his shoulder, shaking with the force of her laughter. He put an arm around her, pulling her in. "You know, we're quite alone in here. The captain's up front behind that door, the old girl's snoring behind the other, and we have two more hours to ourselves."

Emma tilted her head up, still giggling as his lips met hers. It didn't take long before her laughter melted away and a slow burn began to build. She shifted out of her seat, pulling up the armrests on Killians seat before she slipped off her underwear and pulled up her skirt, settling herself on his lap. She twined her arms around his neck.

"Time to join the club," she said with a smile.

###

"I'm telling you, this is highly irregular," Dr. Whale protested. "We need to run some more tests!"

"I'm getting out of here," Snow asserted firmly.

"Mary Margaret, I realize you've been through an ordeal, here -"

"Stop calling me that," she gritted out. "David? Do you have Neal?"

"He's ready to go."

"Wait," Whale said, grabbing Snow's arm. "So...he's the baby's father? You're sure about that?"

Snow looked at him incredulously. "Of _course_ I'm sure. What kind of a question is that?"

He lowered his voice, leaning in. "I mean...after you and I..."

"That was forever ago," she reminded him. "And...we were _responsible_."

"Maybe it doesn't feel like forever ago to him," David gritted out.

Snow put a hand on his arm. "David, now is not the time."

David let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Dr. Whale, didn't you tell me that all your patients die?"

Whale looked decidedly uncomfortable, his hand moving unconsciously to the flask in his breast pocket. "Yeah," he said. "That's how it usually ends up."

"Well, this is one time that it didn't happen." David clapped him on the shoulder, moving him out of the way as he and Snow stepped around him.

Dr. Whale stared at them, a slow smile breaking over his face. "You're right," he said. "Hey! You're right!" He glanced around slowly, taking a moment to gather his thoughts because they felt like they were swirling around him in a whirlwind.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, heading for his office.

Snow and David continued on until they reached the truck, and after fastening Neal into the carseat, they climbed inside and shut the door.

"David, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure. We were under the curse again."

Snow shook her head. "No... _you_ were under the curse. If I had been under the curse, I would have been awake. I was under a sleeping curse."

"Everyone else seems to be under the original curse," David pointed out. "Why were you different?"

"What about Emma?" she asked.

David shook his head slowly. "No...Emma's not here. I haven't seen Emma. Or Regina. Or Hook."

"Henry?" she asked fearfully.

"He's here. He would come and play checkers with me sometimes. He called me Grandpa." David's eyes widened. "He called me Grandpa! He's not under the curse!"

"He never was before," Snow pointed out. "Call him, David. If he wasn't under the curse, he may have a better idea of what's going on."

David nodded, pulling out his phone. "I've got his number," he said, dialing. He paused a moment, waiting for the call to go through.

"Henry? It's Grandpa. We're back!"

Snow smiled as she heard Henry's exclamation through the phone line.

"Yeah, it's us. It's really us," he said. "Do you have any idea what's been going on?"

David listened intently, his face growing concerned. "She's on her way here? And Hook is with her?" He nodded. "Of course. We'll meet you there."

He ended the call, stuffed the phone back in his pocket, and put the keys in the ignition.

"Where are we going?" Snow asked.

"He wants us to meet him at Gold's shop. Dora's there." At Snow's confused look, he continued. "I'll explain on the way."

###

"Are you looking for something?"

Dora started badly. She hadn't heard Henry coming up behind her. She turned and forced a smile.

"Henry. You startled me."

"Sorry. I noticed you looking in the window and thought I'd stop and say hello. This is my friend, Belle," he added, gesturing to Belle.

"It's nice to meet you," Belle said.

"And you, as well." Dora's eyes darted away nervously. "Well, I should be going."

"If you want to come inside, I can let you in," Henry said. "I have a key."

Dora looked at him suspiciously. "You have a key here, as well?"

"It's my grandfather's shop. And he pretty much owned the town at one time." He pulled out the keyring, and opened the door. "I used to work here." He turned back to Belle. "And so did you, Belle."

Dora looked over at Belle. "You did?"

Belle shook her head. "I don't remember it. I-I've recently lost my memory, you see."

"Maybe looking around the shop will help you," Henry suggested. "It's worth a try."

"May I look around as well?" Dora asked. "I love to look at old things. That's why I was staring in the window."

"Sure" Henry encouraged. He had a feeling she was here for more than looking, and now was a good time to find out what she was up to. Belle was staring at the curio cabinet behind the counter, her eyes squinting.

"Wait a moment," she said softly, walking over to it. "I might be remembering something..." She opened the cabinet door, reaching in to take out the cup and saucer. She held it up, looking at it, turning it from side to side.

"Anything?" Henry asked.

"I feel as though I know it," she said, setting the cup down on the counter on top of Henry's book. "But I'm not entirely -" she stopped suddenly, mouth open, her hand frozen in the act of placing the cup.

"Belle?" Henry moved closer.

"H-Henry..." she stammered, realization coming into her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Do you remember now?"

"Yes. Yes, I -" she stepped back, turning around in a slow circle. "I remember all of it. What happened?"

"We don't know," Henry said. His eyes shifted over to Dora, who was inching toward the doorway. "Dora? Are you leaving?"

"I -" she wet her lips nervously. "I need to be going." She gave Belle a smile, and Henry looked at her closely, realizing the smile was genuine.

"I'm glad you got your memories back," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I really do have to go."

"Not so fast," David said, coming in through the doorway with Snow, who was holding Neal.

"You're awake!" Dora's face lit up. "Oh, I'm so glad. Are you well?"

Snow was completely taken aback. This was the woman who stole her son. "I'm fine," she replied. "But I'd really like to know who you are and why you took my baby."

"I didn't take him - he was all alone," Dora defended, her eyes shifting to the door again.

David turned to his wife. "She did take care of him. And she turned him over to me when I asked her."

Snow didn't know what to say to that. She was grateful her son was cared for, but still...this stranger was a threat.

"I'd like to know who you are and where you came from," she said. "And why everything changed when you came to town."

"Please..." Dora's eyes grew wide. "Don't do this."

David stepped closer. "No one's going to hurt you, Dora. We just want some answers."

"I'd like some answers, as well," Belle said.

Dora shook her head wildly. "I can't...don't do this..." her voice was a panicked whisper, and then suddenly, she bolted for the door.

David turned to follow and suddenly, an entire shelf full of items crashed down on him, breaking glass over his head and sending shards and items flying across the room. Snow turned, shielding Neal with her body, only to have her shoe stick in a floorboard, wrenching her ankle and sending her down. Henry ran to help her, tripping over a basket that had fallen and slamming his head into the corner of a table. He went down like a stone. Belle simply looked down in dismay at the remnants of the shattered cup in her hand, which was bleeding badly after having a marble statue slam into the cup and her hand.

David staggered to his feet, wiping blood out of his eyes. He reached down, helping Snow sit up.

"We're okay," she said, pulling Neal closer. "Check on Henry."

David moved over to Henry's prone body, rolling him over carefully as he heard Henry groan.

"Henry?" He put his hand to his grandson's face and Henry opened his eyes, throwing an arm across them to block out the light.

"I'm okay," he groaned again. "Just let me lay here for a minute."

"Belle?" David asked.

She was reaching for a rag under the counter. "I'm all right. Just shaken."

"I hear that," David affirmed. He looked around the room, which looked like a bomb had gone off in it. His eyes met Snow's.

"What the hell just happened?"


	12. The Key

"Welcome back," Regina said, pouring the tea and sliding a mug across the table to Snow, and another one to Belle.

"Thank you. Are we okay to talk here?" Snow asked.

"Marco's out scouring the woods, looking for his son, just like he is every night," Regina said. "He won't be home till late."

"No sign of Pinocchio?" David asked.

Regina shook her head. "I have no idea where he is. He could be on a beach in Phuket, or in the belly of a whale."

"Or maybe in a trailer in the woods," Henry suggested. "Have you tried that yet?"

Snow nodded. "He's right. That was a very low point in August's life, and we all agree that whatever this 'Dora' has done, it's brought us all back to our lowest point."

"But we broke out," Belle pointed out.

"Yes," Regina agreed. "You broke out. And just how did that happen? Snow and David had true love's kiss, but what worked for you?"

"I don't know...the cup? The book?" Belle was confused. "Though neither of them alone did it, really. I saw them together and...something clicked."

"Like a talisman?" Snow asked.

Regina shook her head. "No, it's different from that. And you were showing signs of waking up before David kissed you."

"And I only kissed her because seeing her there with Neal...it just seemed...I don't know. Right. It made me feel hope for her. And for me."

"Hope." Snow turned wide eyes to David. "I was trapped in that burning room, but I knew Neal was close. I could sense it somehow. And then I heard your voice and I felt...hope. I was hopeful. I knew you'd find me."

"Ariel said that, too!" Henry chimed in. "Killian told her she was a ray of hope on that godforaken island."

"It was the same for me," Belle agreed. "I saw the cup and I started feeling like I knew it, deja vu or something, and it made me hopeful that I might be getting some memory back. When I set it down on the book, I felt it again, but stronger - and then it all came back to me.

"And you can bet Emma felt hopeful when Killian showed up at the prison in disguise," Regina said.

"I didn't get everyone else to start believing me until I found you," Henry said to Regina. "Once I did, it started getting easier. And now that we're all coming back, you've got hope, too."

"You might be right," Regina said. "Let's give it a try." She strode over to the door, reaching for the knob and pulling. Nothing. She tried the window, just in case. It seemed to budge the slightest degree, but still wasn't opening easily.

"I guess I'm not hoping hard enough," she said. "It did feel like the window was giving, though. That alone gives me hope. I'll keep trying."

"So that's the key," David said. "Hope counteracts whatever it is this "Dora" person unleashed on us."

"Unleashed?" Belle stood up, pacing slowly back and forth. "That's it. Unleashed!"

"You know something?" Regina asked her.

"I might," she replied. "I need to get to the library."

She was kept from further comment by the ringing of Henry's phone.

"It's my mom!" he said, holding it up to his ear. "Hello? You are? Great! Just be careful. You're a wanted fugitive now, they'll be watching for you. And guess what?"

Henry smiled widely as he passed the phone to Snow.

"Emma?" Snow was grinning, and they could all hear Emma's exclamation from the other side. "It's a long story, but the short answer is, "hope." Hope seems to be the one thing that breaks this curse. Your father is free now, too, along with Belle." She listened a moment. "No, not Regina, but she might be making headway. We need something more powerful for her."

"Get back here and that might do it," Regina called out.

Snow put up a finger to silence her as she listened intently, nodding. "Okay. We'll see you then," she said into the phone. "Be careful." She ended the call.

"She heard you," Snow smiled. "She and Killian will be here tomorrow or the next day at the latest."

"So now we know how to get people back to the way they were," Regina said. "We need to mobilize. I mean, _you_ need to mobilize. I'll just...sit here, I guess."

"There might be a way for you to help us," Snow suggested. "Don't you think it's time the mayor had an open house? Met her constituents? If they come to you, you can remind them of things. Things that might give them hope."

"Maybe." Regina looked skeptical. "It's not like I've ever paid attention to the minutiae of their lives."

"Well, now you can," Snow said. "And you of all people know how to look for the light in the darkness. That's all they need."

Regina still looked doubtful, but she nodded her head. "I'll do my best."

"I'll head over to the trailer," David said. "If I can put Pinocchio back with his father, we'll have one more on our side."

"You'd better let me," Snow said. "You need to go and talk to Catherine - I mean Abigail."

David looked uncomfortable. "I forgot all about her. Maybe I'd better find Frederick first. If I can get him pulled over, he can probably figure out the best way to give Abigail some hope."

Belle reached out, taking the story book off the table. "I'm going to need this, and your help, Henry," Belle said. "Will you come to the library with me?"

"Sure," he said, grinning. "Operation Sunrise is underway!"

"They say it's always darkest before the dawn," David agreed, smiling. "Let's get everybody back on the sunny side of the street."

###

"Things just got a little more complicated," Emma said, sliding the phone back into her pocket.

"How so?"

"We have to find someone." She started walking down the street. "Come on. I need to get to a computer and look up some old friends."

"And who are we finding?" Killian asked.

"Robin. The only thing that can break this curse is hope. Regina needs a strong dose of it, and talking to him again may just do the trick."

"Hope? What kind of a curse breaks with hope?"

"A curse of despair. Tell me you didn't feel it, sitting on that island."

Killian's eyes darkened. "Aye. I felt it."

"And I wasn't doing so good in prison, either - until I saw you."

He gave her a crooked smile. "You had to know I'd find a way to get to you."

"That's just it," she said. "Until I saw you, I didn't know just how much I knew that. And once I did see you, well...I knew there was no stopping us."

He slid his arm around her and pulled her close. "I like that word."

"What word?"

"Us."

She gave him a smirk. "You didn't realize we were an 'us'?"

"I like "we" just as much as "us," he replied, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"As much as I'd like to continue this conversation," Emma replied, "We need to get off the street. By now there's an APB out for us that's gone nation-wide. And once we find Robin, we need to find a car and get back to Storybrooke."

"Good point," Killian agreed. "And we'll do all that right after breakfast. I'm starving."

Emma looked around, giving a reluctant nod. "I could eat. I know a diner with the best damn pancakes you've ever had."

"Lead the way, Swan." He put his hand to the small of her back. "Do we get preferential seating as members of an exclusive club?"

###

Dora's hand shook as she put her key in the lock. She knew she didn't have long - they were probably on their way even now, and it was only right. This was their home, after all.

She'd have to find another place. The woods, perhaps? At least, during the day, anyway. Come nightfall, she'd go back to the store. She reached her hand into the other pocket of her cloak and pulled out the key she'd stolen from Henry. She would go back tonight and search for it, and if she didn't find it, at least she'd have somewhere warm and sheltered to sleep. Then she'd come back again the next night, and the next.

The box was here, in this place. The divining spell she'd bought from the mystic had brought her here. She'd break into every home in town if she had to.

She just didn't want to.

These were good people. These were good people, and this was a nice place. She'd grown fond of Henry, almost as attached to him as she'd been to Neal. Her eyes pricked as she thought of the babe.

It had felt so good to be needed again. Important. And in the night, when she took him from his crib and held him close, she sang the old songs, and if she closed her eyes, she could pretend things weren't as they are.

But that was foolish. She knew that was foolish.

She swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, picking up her satchel from where she'd left it on the chair, and began filling it with canned goods and packages of food from the cupboards. A loud knock at the door nearly made her drop it.

"Who - who is it?" she called out.

"Dora? It's me, Dr. Hopper," Archie's voice called back.

"What do you want?" She kept her eyes on the door, but she was frantically trying to remember if there was another way out.

"I just wanted to check on you," he said. "Is everything all right?"

She put the satchel down, acutely conscious of the fact that they could all be here at any moment, and who knows what they'd do to her? She could have harmed or even killed some of them. She hoped not.

Dora opened the door a fraction. "I can't talk right now," she said. "I have to pack. Mary Margaret is awake and will be returning here."

"I heard," Archie said. "And I wanted to make sure you had someplace else to stay."

Her face softened. "I do," she said. "Thank you for your concern. You're very kind."

He smiled. "You're no trouble, Dora. How are you acclimating?"

"Acclimating?" She looked around and gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "Not so well today, I'm afraid."

Archie's face grew sympathetic. "You miss Neal."

Her eyes welled up again at the mention of the baby's name and she nodded, unable to answer.

Archie reached out, squeezing her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Thank you."

"You might feel better if you did. I was just on my way to Granny's for lunch - you're welcome to join me."

Dora looked a little disconcerted. "You - you want to take a meal with me?"

Archie smiled again. "You find that surprising?"

"A little." She smiled back, tentatively. The sound of a car going by on the street below jarred her out of the conversation, reminding her that she had to get out of there, and fast.

"Maybe another time," she suggested.

Archie nodded, but she could swear he was almost...disappointed.

"If you change your mind, just let me know," he offered. "Anytime you want to talk. Or eat."

"I'll remember that," she promised. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Can I at least give you a lift somewhere?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"All right. I'll...uh...I'll see you around then." Archie gave her a slight bob of his head and then turned and walked back down the stairs. She shut the door behind him, and her hand lingered on it for a moment before she grabbed her satchel and the bow. She'd go out the back door of the building, and if she kept to the alleyways, she should be into the woods in a matter of minutes.

She took one last look at the apartment. For a short time, she'd been almost happy here. Almost.

Maybe, just maybe she could be almost happy again. If she could only find the box.


	13. Disturbance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _  
> **Hello Readers! Before we get back to our story - a quick question: I've had an idea niggling at my brain for a while now and it just won't go away. How would you feel about a sequel to "These Dreams" that sent Killian and Emma back into the dreamscape again? I'm not sure of all the logistics yet, but I just wanted to get a barometer. And would you prefer a complete story, or a series of running one-offs (kind of like Captain's Choice) that take place in and around the already existing story? Give me your thoughts, please.**  
>  _   
>  _  
> **Now let's get Killian and Emma back to Storybrooke...**  
>  _

Killian fell into step alongside Emma as they made their way east on 97th Street. They'd gotten breakfast along the way at a couple of different food carts, and Emma was currently munching on the last of her donut as Killian continued eating with great gusto.

"What d'you call this again?" he asked.

"A breakfast burrito. It's got eggs, bacon, potatoes, cheese and hot sauce in it."

"Well, it's food of the gods," he said, taking another huge bite.

"That's your second one," she pointed out. "And the first one was the size of a newborn."

"Well, I need to keep my strength up, don't I? I'm the leader of a prestigious organization now." He gave her a cocky grin and took another bite.

"Who made you leader?" she asked with a smirk.

"I earned it." He had a devilish gleam in his eye and she couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah. You did. But we need to get moving."

"You really think he'll be in the park?"

"The man lived in a tent in the woods for months after he got to Storybrooke," Emma said flatly. "He'll be there. He'll just have to be careful about staying there, so he probably moves his camp as soon as daylight hits. He's also more likely to be here at the north end, where the terrain is a little more rugged and there aren't as many tourist attractions."

She reached into her pocket, pulling out the cellphone and dialing it.

"Henry? Hey, how's it going?" She listened intently for a moment. "Well, that's some progress," she said. "Listen, I've got an idea and I don't want you to tell Regina about it until I definitely find him." She looked over at Killian, who was rubbing his belly slowly, now that the burrito was done.

"Yeah, that' who I'm going after - if anyone can give her hope, it'd be him," she continued. "We're going to go and check the park - the north end. The only thing is, I'm not sure how we're going to get him into Storybrooke."

Killian's face seemed pained now, and he was looking slightly green.

"Henry, I gotta go. See what you and Belle can figure out in the meantime. I love you. Bye." She ended the call and put the phone back in her pocket.

"You okay?"

"No." He rubbed his chest. "It feels like I swallowed hot coals, and a lot of them."

"I told you to say no to the jalapenos," she reminded. "You're going to pay for that later."

"What's life without a little spice, Swan?"

"Come on," she said, grabbing his arm. "We've got ground to cover."

###

"So what's the status?" Regina asked as Henry put his phone away.

"They're in New York, and they're trying to get a car for the drive up," he said. "Any more progress on the window?"

"It budged another half-inch after I blasted it with a fireball. Still not enough to get more than a finger out," she said disgustedly. "Not that I don't feel like sticking a certain finger out there several times a day..."

Henry snorted and Regina smiled back. "Henry, if I didn't have your visits to look forward to, this situation would be excruciating."

He gave her a hug, then an apologetic look. "I promised Belle I'd meet her at the library in ten minutes," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "Dr. Hopper's due here any minute. Guess I'd better finish my baking."

"That's one perk to having you stuck in a house all day," Henry pointed out. He hugged her again, grabbed his backpack, and walked to the door. The doorbell rang just as he was reaching for it, so he opened it, greeting Archie warmly.

"Go on in," Henry said. "She's got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Archie looked curious, stepping into the house and waving goodbye at Henry. "Regina!" he called out, closing the door behind him.

"In the kitchen!" she called back.

He made his way down the hall and into the kitchen, where Regina was crouched down in the corner. He stepped forward, wondering if she needed help.

"Regina?" he asked cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course," she replied. "And I have someone I want you to meet." She stood up, and then he could clearly see what she was crouching over. A dalmatian stood in her kitchen, wagging its tail and tilting its head to look at him curiously. Then suddenly the dog straightened, as if it had received a jolt. It leaped forward, jerking its leash out of Regina's hands and landed its paws on Archie's chest, nearly knocking him over.

"Easy!" Archie said, rubbing the dog's ars. "Easy boy." He looked over at Regina. "What a beautiful dog. Is he yours, Regina?"

"Mine?" Regina arched a brow. "Heavens, no. I'm not a dog person." She motioned Archie over to the living room, and the dog followed obediently as they took a seat on opposite ends of the couch.

"He seems very friendly," Archie observed.

"So you like him?" Regina asked. "Then why don't you keep him. We really don't have the room here."

"He doesn't have an owner?"

"Now he does," Regina said, watching Archie carefully. "You."

Archie looked down at the dog again. "What should I name him?"

"How about Pongo?" Regina suggested. "Does that work for you?" She stared at him again, looking for any sign that something had been triggered. Archie looked like he was on the verge of remembering, but wasn't quite there yet.

"It just so happens that I called you for a different reason," Regina said. "As mayor, it's my job to know my constituents. I've been notified that we have someone new in town, and I was hoping you could arrange an introduction."

Archie looked up from the dog. "You mean Dora?"

"Henry says she trusts you."

Archie smiled at that, then his smile faded. "I could try, I suppose, but I'm not sure where we'd find her."

Regina looked alarmed. "She's _missing_?"

"When I ran into her last, she was moving out of Mary Margaret's apartment, since Ms. Blanchard has regained consciousness. She didn't tell me where she was off to." He smiled a soft, tender smile. "She's quite a remarkable woman," he said. "Burdened, but stronger than she thinks. Some people just don't realize their own strength."

He stopped abruptly, realizing he'd been gushing, and started petting Pongo again. Regina eyed him thoughtfully.

"She speaks very fondly of you, too," she pointed out, "Or so Henry tells me."

Archie's head snapped up. "Really?" He backtracked, trying to sound more professional. "I'm glad to hear that she's reaching out to others," he said. "She needs to focus on sociali-"

He stopped again, only this time, he froze. His eyes widened, and then he sucked in a breath.

"Regina?"

"Archie?"

Pongo let out a bark, and Archie laughed, rubbing his head and ears again. "Yes, Pongo, it's me." He looked over at Regina. "It's really me."

Regina let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's one more, at least."

"What's happened?" Archie asked.

"What's happened is Dora," Regina said. "And you're going to help us figure out why she's here."

###

Emma paced the hotel hallway, trying her best to blend in with the other people who were there for the "Digital Marketing and Social Media" Expo. She pulled out her phone, checking the time, then put it away again before pacing some more. At last, the door in front of her opened, and Killian stepped out, wearing a look of extreme chagrin.

"Any better?"

"There can't be anything left," he said glumly.

"Next time, listen to me when I warn you," she chided. "You don't know this world and I do. The grease from that damn burrito was running down your arm."

He rubbed his ear, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. "I think we can resume our search now."

"Good," she said. "I got you this." She handed him a bright pink bottle and he looked at it curiously.

"What's this? An elixir?"

"It's Pepto Bismol. It'll help."

"Does it mix with rum?"

Emma made a face, not bothering to answer that. "We need to get out of here before someone realizes we're not guests of the hotel. Public bathrooms are in short supply in New York."

"Wonderful."

There was a wealth of discontent in that word.

###

David hugged Snow tightly as they watched the reunion between Abigail and Frederick. It had taken some machinations to get them together, tricking Catherine in closing her eyes and expecting a surprise and luring Frederick with the promise of a new star athlete who wanted to play soccer. They met in the park and it only took seconds for them to reconnect.

"True love," Snow sighed. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"It is," David replied, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "How did it go with Marco?"

"He was hugging Pinnochio - I mean, August - when I left. And August was turning back to flesh."

David's phone rang suddenly, and he fished it out of his pocket and checked the number.

"It's the autodial from the station. The alarm at Gold's shop is going off. I'd better get over there." He leaned down over Neal's car seat, kissing the baby on the head. "Take the baby home and I'll meet you there after I check things out."

Snow nodded. "Be careful."

David took off in a jog - Gold's shop was only a few blocks away. It was probably a stray cat or maybe even a couple of kids - who knew with this new curse. Everyone was stuck in a rough place. He drew his gun to be safe and stayed low as he crept up on the storefront. The pane of glass on the door had been shattered, and a quick glance inside showed a shifting of shadows - someone was definitely moving around in there.

"Don't move!" he shouted, wrenching the door open and flipping on the light. Dora jumped back with a shriek, raising her arms in the air.

David looked around, and the shop was a mess. Drawers had been opened, cabinets emptied, boxes overturned...

"What's going on, Dora? Why are you in here?"

She shook her head, remaining mute. David holstered his gun and walked slowly toward her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "I only want to talk to you."

She shook her head again, wildly. "Please," she begged. "Don't come any closer. Please."

Her fear was a very real thing, so real that David couldn't help but be moved by it. He stopped. "I know you won't hurt me, Dora," he said. "And I promise, I'm not going to do anything but talk."

She raised her chin, looking at him defiantly. "How do you know I won't hurt you?"

"Because you took care of my son," he said. "You took care of my son when he had no one else, and that counts for something with me. But we need to know why you're here."

Dora's face went white, and she stared at him, once again refusing to answer.

"Dora, please, won't you talk to me?" he held out a beseeching hand. "I don't know if you're responsible for what's happened -"

"Of course I am!" she shrieked. "Of course, it's me! Don't you see? You're all going to be in pain, and it's only going to get worse if you don't let me go!"

Her eyes were wild now, looking this way and that, desperately searching for an exit. She feinted to the left and David moved to counter but she shifted right, running past him for the door.

"Dora!" he shouted, running after her.

She ran right into the street, and an oncoming car swerved to avoid her, slamming into a telephone pole. The wires attached to it sparked, and the whole thing toppled, almost in slow motion, landing on the roof of the shop just as David came through the doorway. It rolled toward the edge, snapping off the sign overhead, which slammed down, hitting David in the back and throwing him face-down on the sidewalk, where he lay very, very still.

Dora's hand covered her mouth as she stared in horror at David on the ground, and the driver of the car slumped over the wheel. She backed slowly away, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." she whispered in a litany, before she turned and ran back toward the woods.


	14. Found

"Anything?" Emma asked.

Killian shook his head. "Nothing over here. If we knew the terrain better, we might be able to find the most secluded areas."

Emma sighed, pushing her hair off her head. "For being in the middle of a major city, this park is really, really big."

"We'll just have to keep looking," Killian said, glancing around. "Perhaps that path, over there?"

Killian stepped forward, but a hand came out of the bushes. pulling him off the path and into the underbrush.

"Killian!" Emma's panicked shout got an immediate shush from somewhere in the bushes, and she stepped closer, cautiously. She saw a small, dirty face smiling up at her from inside the nearest bush, and she bent down to see it better.

"Well, hello, Roland," she said with a smile. "Can you tell me where your Papa is?'

"I'm here, Emma." Robin stepped out of the bushes, pulling Killian along with him.

"All you had to do was say hello, mate," Killian protested. "There's no need to be flinging a man about." He rubbed his stomach, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"Don't fling him," Emma cautioned, looking over at Killian with concern. He put up a hand, reassuring her.

"It's all right, Swan," he said. "But let's get out of the park and back to civilization soon."

"What's wrong with him?" Robin looked over at Killian.

"Don't ask," Emma said. "Where's Marian?"

He gave her a bleak look, which Roland mirrored.

"Don't ask," he said grimly. "What brings you here?"

"Storybrooke is in trouble," Emma said.

Killian stepped forward. "She means more than usually so," he added helpfully.

"And Regina?" Robin asked.

"That's why I'm here. She's trapped in a house with Marco."

Robin looked truly confused. " _What_?"

"It's a long story," Emma said. "We can talk over an early dinner." She looked over at Killian. "If you're up for it."

Killian grimaced, but gave her a nod.

"But I can't get back into Storybrooke," Robin pointed out, "No matter how much I want to help you."

"Henry and Belle are working on it," Emma reassured him. "We'll figure out a way."

Robin's hand reached out, closing over Regina's arm. "She's really all right? Other than the imprisonment?"

Emma nodded. "She's just frustrated. The town is under a curse and we're trying to figure it out."

" _Another_ curse?" Robin looked incredulous.

"You'd think by now we'd be experts," Killian smirked. "We've certainly had the practice."

"Wait - does this have anything to do with the woman we passed on the road?" Robin asked.

"You've met her?" Emma looked wary.

"On our way out of town." Robin acknowledged. "And things went badly for us shortly thereafter."

Emma sighed. "Well, come on, then. Let's get your story."

She pulled Robin forward, and he reached down, taking Roland's hand. Killian made a face, rubbed his stomach again, and plodded along behind.

###

"What exactly are we looking for?" Henry asked, following Belle down a row of bookshelves.

"Mythology," she answered, trailing her fingers along the spines of the books in one row. "Greek mythology, specifically." She pulled a very large book off the shelf. "We'll start with this one."

Henry glanced at the other books on the shelf. "There are three more," he said. "Should I bring them over?"

Belle nodded and Henry grabbed the books, following her over to a table. She opened the large tome, leafing through it.

"You think there's something about Dora in there?"

"There's a story about a woman who was beset by all the troubles of the world, if I remember...it's been a long time since I read the story." She flipped through a few more pages and then suddenly stopped, reading intently.

"That's it!" she cried out. "She's Pandora!"

Henry's eyes grew wide. "Pandora, as in...Pandora's box? The one I was trapped in?"

"That very one." She traced a passage of text with her finger as she read. "According to this, Pandora received the box and was told never to open it, because it contained all the troubles of the world. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the box, unleashing hardship and discord upon mankind."

"Nice." Henry snarked, paging through his own book. "According to this one, she was forced into a loveless marriage after being impregnated by Zeus, so it doesn't sound like she had a great life, either."

"And this one," Belle said, reading from another book, "Says that she was created to punish mankind. All the gods of Olympus each gave her a gift, but they weren't very nice gifts - for instance, Aphrodite shed grace upon her head and also cruel longings and cares that weary the limbs."

"This one says she had children with three different men and her name was Anesidora," Henry said. "And it says the box was a jar."

Belle nodded. "We're dealing with texts that are thousands of years old, and some of them in long-forgotten languages. There are going to be translation errors and even differing versions depending on the storyteller. They liked to sensationalize just like we do in modern day."

"Well, we know that the box can trap great evil, right?"

"That's right. It can hold all the troubles of the world. That's why Rumple chose it to imprison Pan."

"How did he get the box in the first place?" Henry asked.

"In a deal, I would imagine." Belle shrugged. "You know how he was."

"Would he have a record of it at the shop?"

"Of course. Rumple kept meticulous records."

Henry closed his book. "Well, we know what she was looking for, but we don't know why. Maybe we should start with any information my grandfather has about the box."

Belle closed her book as well. "You know, she doesn't sound evil. She sounds...well, rather sad, actually."

"I think she's nice," Henry said. "And sad. Maybe we can find a way to help her."

###

"Marian's gone," Robin explained, as Killian gallantly offered to escort Roland to the restroom. "We were only in the city a few days when she told me the truth. She'd left me back in the Enchanted Forest, not because she'd been taken - but because she'd fallen in love with someone else not long after Roland was born. It turned out he was a scoundrel who was using her for sport, but by the time she tried to find a way back to us, it was too late and she'd been captured."

"And now?" Emma prodded gently.

"She was hoping that in Storybrooke, she'd have a second chance, only it didn't feel that way to her, she said. She told me she felt like she was in prison. She didn't want to be married, she didn't want to be a mother..." he paused a moment, clearing his throat to keep his voice from breaking. "She didn't want anything but her freedom. I told her we'd find a way to work this through, for Roland's sake, but the next morning, she was gone. Just...gone. The note she left said only 'goodbye' and I had to explain to Roland yet again that his mother isn't coming back."

Emma reached out, touching his arm. "If it's any consolation, this 'Dora' woman has that effect on people. She influences everyone around her and sends them back to a dark time in their life. For you, that would be losing Marian."

"And being without Regina," he added. "And now we're both trapped."

"According to Regina, the only way to reverse this curse is hope. My father found hope watching my mother and Neal, and then he broke her out of her sleeping curse. Dr. Whale broke out of it when my mother's recovery gave him hope. Regina is still stuck, and I can't think of anything that would give her more hope than seeing you."

"But I can't return to Storybrooke," he reminded her. "It's invisible to me."

"Henry and Belle are working on that," Emma said. "And they'll find something. There has to be a way."

Robin nodded. "Yes. Yes, there has to be a way. And we'll find it, Emma. _I'll_ find it."

###

Killian turned the sink spigot on, and began washing his hand as Roland leaned against the wall and watched him.

"Is it hard for you to use the toilet?" he asked curiously.

Killian gave him a petulant look. "What?"

"With the hook. Is it hard to use the toilet?"

"You get used to it." He reached for a paper towel from the dispenser.

"I want a hook, I think."

Killian shook his head. "No, you don't. You'll have a hard time balancing a bow."

Roland screwed his face up. "I didn't think of that."

"Are you all done here, lad?"

"I'm done," Roland said with a shrug. "I was waiting for you."

Killian gave him another perturbed look. "Well, come along then." He reached for the door, ushering Roland through.

"Are you going to have a baby with her?" Roland asked.

That question made Killian stop in his tracks. "What? Who?"

Roland gave him a pronounced eye roll that would have made Regina proud. "Emma," he said. "Are you going to make her be a Mama?"

Killian had no idea how to answer that. His first inclination was a rather off-color quip that was certainly not suited for a child's ears. He finally settled on the truth.

"She's already a mama," he said. "To Henry."

They reached the booth where Emma and Robin were sitting, and Roland's eyes grew wide when he saw Emma's plate.

"Are you going to finish your french fries?' he asked.

Emma smiled down at him. "Go ahead," she said, pushing the plate across the table. She gave Roland's hair a fond ruffle and he climbed over his father, and then she looked up at Killian, who was staring at her in a very odd way.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Just...pondering."

"Well, ponder over some chicken soup," she suggested, sliding over to give him his seat back. "And then you need to take more medicine."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"What?" Emma asked again.

"I've never seen your nurturing side before," he answered. "I think I like it."

She pushed some crackers at him. "Eat. And then we need to find rooms for the night. I got in touch with an old contact who can get us a clean car, but not until tomorrow morning."

Killian reached for his spoon. "Well then, I definitely need to get my strength up," he said, raising one brow and giving her a devastating smile.

She smirked back, then turned her eyes back to Robin as he began questioning her about everything he'd missed.

Killian picked up his spoon, his eyes lingering on Roland.

###

"Grandpa!"

Henry rushed over to where David lay, calling over his shoulder to Belle. "There's someone in the car, help them!"

Belle rushed over, dialing her phone as she went, calling for an ambulance.

"Grandpa?" He knelt down, carefully pushing the heavy sign off David's back where it rested. He let out a loud sigh of relief when he heard David groan.

Henry reached out and carefully rolled him over. David had a ragged gash in his forehead and abrasions on his cheek from where he'd hit the pavement, but he was opening his eyes and groaning again.

"Dora -" he moaned.

"She did this to you?" Henry was upset, glancing around.

"She didn't mean to," David said, cradling his arm. "Watch the wires, Henry!"

Henry stepped back as the electrical wires that snaked out from the downed pole twisted and popped in front of him. David rolled cautiously to his knees, then with Henry's help he pushed up to his feet, leaning on him heavily as they walked over to the car.

"She's unconscious, but she's breathing normally," Belle said, "I've got an ambulance on the way."

"Don't move her," David said. "She might have internal injuries. She hit pretty hard."

"Here," Henry said, unwrapping his scarf and pressing it to David's head. "You're probably gonna need stitches. What's wrong with your arm?"

"I think my wrist may be broken," David said, prodding it gingerly.

"Lean against the car," Belle said, putting an arm around him. She glanced around. "Is she gone? Pandora?"

"Pandora?" David looked startled. "Dora is _Pandora_?"

"We think so," Belle said. "Pandora released the troubles of the world. It makes sense with what we know of her."

They all turned to look as the ambulance pulled up, and after the occupant of the car was safely on a stability board and loaded into the ambulance, David waved off the EMT that was prodding at his head.

"Belle can drive me over to the hospital," he said, "Get the driver out of here."

The EMT reluctantly agreed, closing the ambulance doors before climbing up front and driving off.

David pushed himself off the car. "So Dora - Pandora - is after the box? That's why she broke into the shop?"

"She did?" Henry looked over at the broken glass on the door. "That's why she was looking around when we were here before."

"We need to find out what she wants it for," David said.

"We need to find out how Rumple got his hands on it in the first place," Belle added. "And what kind of a deal did he make to get it?"

###

The man stood at the edge of town, tilting his head curiously from side-to-side. He put up an experimental hand, and the barrier around Storybrooke shimmered briefly, but didn't budge.

"Interesting." He remarked aloud.

The man gave an impatient sigh, reaching into a small pouch he carried on his belt. He pulled out what appeared to be a glowing coal, and placed it on the ground in front of the barrier. Closing his eyes, he passed his hand over the coal, and a fire blazed to life, its flames creeping up the barrier, creating a flickering, glowing red portal.

The man reached down, picking up the coal, and stepped through.


	15. Tested

"Here it is," Henry said, placing the cup in front of his mother. Regina looked down at it skeptically.

"It's water."

"Yep." Henry nodded. "It's water. And this is a phone." He held up his cellphone. "And together, they're going to get you out of here."

"Water. And a phone." Regina raised a brow. "Henry, I don't -"

"Mom. Trust me."

"So, do I drink the water? Or dunk the phone in it?" She asked.

"You talk to the person on the phone. Then you drink the water."

Regina looked at Henry curiously. "This _is_ just water, right?"

"Water from the well," Henry said. "And according to the legend, when you drink the water, something lost will be returned to you."

"Like my freedom?" She shook her head. "I don't know if that works on intangible things."

"Talk." Henry passed the phone over, and Regina took it.

"Hello?" She held the phone to her ear and waited. A moment later, a voice - a voice that she'd know anywhere - answered her.

"Hello, Regina."

"Robin!" Her face immediately lit up, and Henry grinned. "How? I don't understand - did Emma find you?"

"She did. And she tells me that you have a bit of a problem."

Regina nodded, not entirely sure she could speak over the lump in her throat. Then she realized he couldn't hear her. "Yes," she answered. "Yes, I'm trapped."

"Well, I'll be there tomorrow. Roland and I."

"Here? In Storybrooke?"

"Or just outside. Until Henry finds a way to get me back in."

Regina held up the cup of water, then she set it down. "Wait - you and Roland? And Marian?"

"Marian's gone, Regina," he said quietly. "I'll explain more when I see you - and I will see you. I swear to you, I will."

Regina's eyes welled up, and she picked up the cup again. "Yes," she said. "You will. Get here as fast as you can."

"I will. I promise, Regina. I will."

She ended the call, and then she held the cup to her lips, and she drank.

"Do you feel any different?" Henry asked.

Regina nodded. "I do, Henry. I really do!" She set the cup down and got out of the chair she'd been sitting in, striding determinedly to the door. She grasped the doorknob and said firmly:

"Time to take a walk."

And then she wrenched the door open, and stepped through.

###

"Well, it's no Pirate Suite," Killian said, tossing the keycard down on the table. "But it's clean enough. Shall we try the bed?"

Emma closed the door behind her, dropping her bag on one of the two beds.

"Why are there two beds?" Killian asked. "Are we expecting company?"

"That's standard in most hotels," Emma explained. "If you don't get a king-sized bed, you get two double beds. And they're both for us."

"Do they expect us to wear one out? I'll give it my best, love." He raised a saucy brow and she bit back a smile.

"You're feeling better?"

He reached for her, pulling her in close. "Much. Thank you."

He dropped a kiss on her lips and she was just starting to get into it when a knock sounded at the door.

"That'd be Robin," she murmured against Killian's lips.

He sighed and reluctantly stepped back as she opened the door.

"Did it work?" Emma asked.

"It did," Robin smiled. "And Henry wants you to call him."

Emma took the phone. "Thanks. Are you all set for the night?"

"Yes," he said. "Thank you for the room. I believe they put us down the hall from you."

"We could just stay here, papa," Roland said, peeking his head around the door. "They have two beds."

Robin ruffled Roland's hair. "I'm sure Killian and Emma don't need a little boy jumping on their beds. We have our own room, Roland. Come along."

Killian held up the keycard. "This is the key," he said, holding it up. "Just slide it into the slot."

Robin looked at the keycard strangely. "Strange looking key."

"And this," Killian said, picking up the remote. "Makes the bed vibrate." He raised and lowered his brows.

Emma took the remote out of his hand. "Only in Vegas, Killian. This one is for the TV." She clicked the remote and the TV came to life. "But be careful," she cautioned. "They have movies on here that might not be suitable for a four year old."

"Understood," Robin said with a smile. "Come along, Roland. Let's find our room." He ushered Roland off, and Emma closed the door after wishing them goodnight.

Killian reached out, taking her by the hand and pulling her toward the bed. She stopped him, shaking her head.

"I have to call Henry," she said. He made a petulant sound and she rolled her eyes. "Hold that thought," she promised.

"I'll just go freshen up," Killian said, heading for the restroom. A moment later, she heard the shower start. She dialed the phone, glancing over at the door with a smile.

###

"Pandora." Regina folded her arms across her chest as she leaned back against the counter in Gold's shop. "She's Pandora. What the hell is she doing here?"

"Our guess is she's looking for the box," David said, wincing a little as he readjusted his arm in the sling.

"Hold on," Regina said, stepping closer and waving her hand over David's wrist. Then she made a tsk-ing sound and waved her hand over the stitches on his forehead. His wounds and abrasions disappeared, and he reached up to untie the sling on his arm.

"Thanks," he said. "Guess I should have come to you first."

"I couldn't let Prince Charming walk around with a scar like that," she said. "So Pandora's looking for the box and disaster follows in her wake. Why not just give her the box so she'll leave?"

"We would if we could find it," Belle said. "I checked under the floorboards, in the safe...I don't know what Rumple did with it." She picked up a dusty ledger book and opened it, leafing through the pages. "According to this, the box was received as payment for protection."

"Protection of what?" Snow asked.

"It doesn't say." Belle pointed to a place in the ledger. "But here's the interesting thing: The person who made the contract was Epimetheus."

"Pandora's husband," Henry supplied. "She was forced to marry him, according to one of the legends."

"So he traded away the box after she emptied it," David said. "Maybe he just wanted to get away from it."

"Why would she want it back?" Snow asked. "The box holds trouble."

Regina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "The box and trouble do go hand-in-hand."

"That's it!" David said. "The box _holds_ trouble. What if she wants it because she wants to put the troubles back?"

"All the troubles of mankind?" Belle asked. "Isn't that kind of impossible?"

"I don't know," David said. "Is it?"

"You mean, we could live in a world without troubles?" Snow's eyes widened. "A world of peace? Of contentment? Happiness?"

"As nice as that may be to think about," Regina cautioned. "It also sounds too good to be true. What we need is to talk to the man who knows what the box can do."

"Rumple." Belle's voice was flat. "But he's gone. I sent him away."

"And we have people on the outside now," Regina reminded her.

"But we have no idea where he is," Snow said. "And a locator spell isn't going to help Emma when she's not here to follow it."

"Couldn't we use the globe?" Henry asked. "That's how you found me in Neverland, right? Blood magic."

Regina nodded. "Yes. Yes, that would work. Where is it?"

"Here," Belle answered. She stepped over to a high shelf, pulling the globe down off of it and setting it on the counter.

"We only need one drop Henry," Regina cautioned. "The needle is sharp - be careful."

Henry rolled his eyes, then carefully extended his finger, pricking it gently. A drop of blood welled up and he held it over the globe, watching as it splashed down, creating a swirling, cloudy mass that reshaped into a map.

"Any idea what we're looking at?" David asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Henry said. "It's New York. He's in New York." Henry cautiously laid his hand on the globe and the map zoomed in, clearly showing a street with a street sign and an apartment door with a number. "He's in my Dad's old apartment," Henry said. "I guess that makes sense. He wouldn't have known anywhere else to go."

Belle looked uncomfortable. "I'm glad he found someplace to live," she said. "But is it wise making contact again?"

David shook his head. "Probably not. But I don't see that we have much choice. And for all he's done, if he thinks you and Henry are in danger, I'm pretty sure he'll agree to help."

Belle didn't look terribly happy. She was saved from commenting further by the ringing of Henry's phone.

"Mom?" He stepped away as the others gathered around the globe. "We've got a job for you."

###

Killian opened the bathroom door, and the sight of him, glistening wet with a towel slung low around his hips made Emma's mouth go suddenly dry.

"What took you so long?" she finally managed.

"I was hoping you'd come wash my back," he said. "You did such a good job when we shared the tub in the Pirate Suite."

She closed her eyes as memories washed over her of the two of them, twined around each other, rocking slowly in the tub as the water sloshed over the sides around them. The way his skin felt sliding against hers, and the way her cries had echoed off the walls. She opened her eyes again and found him staring at her in a very knowing way, a slight smile curving that incredibly soft lower lip.

"Hate to do this..." she said, frowning. "I mean I really, really do...but I'm needed elsewhere."

"What?" He nearly shouted. "Now?"

"Keep your voice down," she admonished. "It turns out our buddy Dora is actually _Pan_ dora. We need to find that damn box, and the only person who knows where it is, just happens to be in New York."

"Rumplestiltskin." He said the name like an epithet, and in reality, it was.

"Yes. So you just sit tight and -"

"You're not going without me, Swan," he said, reaching for his clothes.

"Killian."

"You think I'd let you near that crocodile alone? Emma, he tried to kill you!"

"And you," she pointed out. "Which is exactly why you're going to stay away. He can't hurt me here anyway. He doesn't have magic in the real world."

"Then I have nothing to fear, as well."

"No, but _he_ does." She said it bluntly, raising her eyebrows as if daring him to refute it. "I need information, Killian. He's not likely to talk with you around. And if he goads you - and he will - I don't want to be mopping blood off the floor."

Killian's jaw clenched. "I could end him," he said, and his voice was deadly quiet. "I could end him once and for all. As long as he lives, he's a threat, Emma. You know that."

"Out here, he's just a lonely old man," Emma said. "With no magic, no family, and no friends. For a man like him, maybe death would be a better deal."

He closed his eyes, weighing her words. "You're right," he said. "It's a bitter justice, leaving him broken and frail."

"I know I'm right."

"And I'm still coming with you." He held up his hand, forestalling her argument. "I'll wait outside while you go in and talk. But I won't leave you all alone with him."

She sighed. "All right. But stay out of sight. And for god's sake, put some clothes on." She walked into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving him smirking as he reached for his pants.


	16. Promises

"Don't come any closer!"

Her voice reached him from not too far away, by the sound of it. Whether her voice was shaking from fear or fatigue was not entirely clear.

"Dora!" Archie called out. "Dora? It's Dr. Hopper."

"I know who you are!" she called back. "And I don't want...you can't be here!"

Archie stopped a moment, resting on his umbrella. "Well, I _am_ here. And I want to talk to you."

"Dr. Hopper...please. I can't control this. You know that. As long as I'm near you, you're in danger."

"That's not true," he murmured. Then he raised his voice and said it louder. "That's not true. Dora, we've been close to each other several times. You haven't hurt me. Not once."

She stepped slowly out from behind a large tree, looking at him warily.

"Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean you're safe."

"I'm safe with you," he answered. "I trust you." He held out a hand. "Please, Dora...can we talk? No one's angry with you. And David and the driver of the car are going to be just fine."

"Why?" she asked. She still hadn't moved, so Archie took a tentative step toward her.

"Why what?"

"Why do you trust me?"

He paused a moment to ponder that. "You know, I really can't say for sure. But I have good instincts about people. You don't need to be afraid of us, Dora."

"I'm not afraid of you," she explained wearily. "I'm afraid _for_ you."

Archie nodded. "The troubles of the world. I can't even imagine."

Dora's eyes went wide. "You know who I am?" She turned, as if to flee, and Archie ran forward, gently catching her arm.

"I know. And it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me or to anyone else. We want to help you."

She stared up at him in patent disbelief, then her eyes shifted down to where his hand sat, gentle and warm on her arm.

"Please, Dr. Hopper..."

"Archie," he prompted. "You can call me Archie. And shall I call you Pandora?"

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back furiously. "No." She was emphatic. "I'm Dora now. Just Dora. The Gods gave me the other name, and I don't want it."

She pulled away, but didn't run. It was clear that she was exhausted, dark circles ringed her beautiful blue-grey eyes, and her normally honey-gold hair hung limp and matted down her back.

"When was the last time you ate?" Archie asked gently.

"I don't know," she replied. "I've tried to hunt, but there isn't much game to be had."

"Why don't we find you some food, and sit and talk?" Archie offered. At her doubtful look, he gestured widely around him. "See? Nothing's happened. Maybe I have some kind of immunity because I'm charged with listening to people's troubles. I'd like to help you with yours, if you'll let me."

She tilted her head to the side a bit. "That's your job? Really?"

He smiled at her. "Really." He put out his hand and she looked down at it, but didn't move to take it.

"Granny's makes a great burger," he said. "And her pie is the best you've ever had." He remained with his hand extended, and after another moment of hesitation, Dora finally took it.

"I'll take care of you, Dora," he said, smiling down at her. "You're going to be all right. I promise."

And Dora, to her own surprise, smiled back.

###

"Gold!" Emma pounded on the door. "Gold! Come on, I know you're in there."

"And I'm to just believe you're all alone?" came his muffled reply. "I was nearly murdered by a pirate in this very building. I don't care to repeat the experience."

"I am alone," she said. "I just want to talk. Storybrooke needs you."

She heard his mirthless laugh through the door. "Storybrooke? I'm afraid I've no interest in helping Storybrooke. Good day, Miss Swan."

"Wait!" Emma made a face and curled her hand into a fist again, resting it against the door. "Belle needs you. Henry needs you. There's been another curse."

There was a pause, and the door opened a fraction, held fast by the chain lock at the top. Rumple's eye peered out. "All right, Miss Swan. You have my attention."

"Pandora came to Storybrooke, and it sent everyone back to the darkest place in their lives," Emma explained. "We're managing to reverse the effect, but anytime she comes near anyone, bad things happen all over again. We think she's looking for her box. If we give it to her, maybe she'll go and we can all be safe again."

"Is that what she's telling you?"

"I haven't spoken to her personally," Emma said. "I just broke out of prison. I head back to Storybrooke tomorrow, but I need to know where to find that box. Belle says it's not in the shop."

"No, it's not. Am I to assume she's all right, then?"

"For now. I can't guarantee that'll hold as long as this woman is walking around looking for a box."

"Well," Rumple said. "Good luck with that." He began to close the door, and Emma stuck her foot in the way, pushing hard until the chain popped off and the door broke free.

"Dammit, Gold!" she shouted as the door flew open.

"I see you still prefer to handle things with your usual finesse," Rumple said.

"I don't have time for games," Emma retorted. "Where's the damn box?"

"And what's in it for me?"

"How about you get to keep your miserable life?" A voice said, with a great deal of menace. She turned slowly to face Killian.

"I told you to wait downstairs," she said.

"And I heard you shouting. You'll pardon me if I don't trust your safety to a man who tried to kill us both," he said darkly.

"You didn't expect a pirate to keep his word, did you, Miss Swan?" Rumple asked. "Now, if you two will excuse me..." He made a move to shut the door again, but this time, a hook embedded in it, just grazing his fingers at the edge. Rumple pulled his hand away uneasily.

"You've no one to hide behind now, Crocodile," Killian growled.

Emma deliberately stepped between them. "Me." She said it firmly. "He has me. And you need to back off. _Now_."

"He's not going to help us," Killian said. "And as long as he's alive, he's a threat to us all."

"As long as he's alive, we've got a better chance of finding that box," Emma repeated. She turned and looked at Rumple, who was eyeing them both with cool contempt. "Where's the box?"

"Again, I'm not hearing the part that benefits me," Rumple reminded her.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, already half-knowing what he'd ask.

He gave her a condescending smile. "You know the answer to that."

"It's not my place to allow you back in," Emma said. "I don't even know if we _can_ get you back in."

"I know how I might get back through the barrier," Rumple said. "But I'm going to need assurances. You have nothing to fear from me as long as Belle has the dagger. I need to know I'll be safe from certain...scurvy pirates."

"You want him to promise not to kill you?" Emma asked.

"No." Killian said over the top of her. "I won't do it."

"Then I don't see that we have anything more to discuss," Rumple said, turning to go. "Do be sure and show yourselves out."

"Wait!" Emma turned back to Killian. "You don't have to make him any promises," she said.

"Good."

"Promise _me_."

"What?" He looked at her as though she were mad.

"You heard me. Promise me. He wouldn't believe a promise from you, anyway, and I don't want you making deals with him ever again. So promise _me_."

"I can't do that," he said. "Emma, he's dangerous -"

"You think I don't know that?" She raised her eyebrows, then put a hand gently on his arm. "But you're done with vengeance. You're not that man anymore. Show me. Promise me."

He stared at her, his jaw ticking furiously. Finally his gaze shifted to Rumple, and his voice bit out:

"I'll not seek to harm him deliberately, but if he ever harms anyone again by word or action, he will be made to pay. Painfully."

"Every day I share the Earth with you _is_ pain," Rumple said darkly.

"Great," Emma said. "Glad we got that settled." She turned back to Rumple. "I can't just allow you back in - not without discussing it with Belle first. If she says no, then we'll do this the hard way and find the box ourselves."

"I'm sure you can explain to Belle - as you did to me - that it's for the greater good."

"It might make her more inclined to extend that invitation if you surrender the location as a goodwill gesture," Emma pointed out.

"Talk to Belle," Rumple said. "I'll wait."

She rolled her eyes, stepping back into the hallway and pulling the door shut behind her. Killian fell into step next to her, but kept glancing repeatedly over his shoulder, as if expecting an attack from behind. He didn't relax his guard until they were good and clear of the building and onto the subway. Even then, he still didn't speak. He was angry - no, more like furious. She knew what that promise had cost him.

She reached over, taking his hand.

"Thank you."

He nodded, but he still didn't speak. His fingers closed around hers, though, and his hand was warm and solid.

"I know how hard that was for you."

"Do you?" he snapped. At the look on her face, he was immediately remorseful, and his eyes softened. "Emma, the man has threatened not only you, but the people you care for. And he'll do it again."

"And we'll face him again - together," she said. "I don't know if he deserves a second chance. That's not really for me to decide. But I do know he's taken enough from you. I won't let him have one bit more."

"Careful, Swan," he said, cracking a smile. "You're beginning to sound possessive."

"I don't own you, Killian."

"Don't you?" He pulled their hands up to his lips, placing a soft kiss against her knuckles. She had to break away from the heat in his gaze out of sheer self-preservation.

"This is our stop," she said, as the doors to the train opened. They stepped onto the platform and ascended up to the street, just in front of the hotel. Emma ducked under Killian's arm as he held the door.

"Always the gentleman," she smiled.

"Always a _pirate_ ," he reminded her. "I was born a gentleman."

They stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed, leaving them alone together in the car.

"And which one am I getting tonight?" she asked, throwing him a sideways glance.

His eyes darkened with interest. "Which one do you want?"

She held his gaze boldly. "Guess."

And a moment later she caught sight of them in the mirrored wall of the elevator car, as his hard body pinned hers, and his mouth captured her startled exclamation.


	17. Pancakes and Donuts

Archie held the door, but then he almost slammed into her as Dora stopped in her tracks.

"I can't go in here," she whispered furiously to Archie. "There are too many people."

He put a gentle hand to the small of her back. "It's all right, Dora. You're among friends. No one's going to hurt you here."

Her eyes were wide and fearful. "But I don't want to hurt anyone else. It happens when others are near me."

"But not all the time," Archie qualified. "You haven't hurt me."

"Yet." She said it in such a horribly resigned way, that he couldn't help but smile.

"You didn't hurt Neal, either. Or Snow, when you brought Neal in for his feedings." He looked thoughtful. "For that matter, you didn't hurt Dr. Whale, or Henry, while we're at it. I'd say there's a whole list of people you could have hurt, but didn't."

Dora had obviously never thought of that before. "You think I can control it?" She shook her head. "I don't know if I can believe that."

"Then I'll believe for both of us," he said. "Now, let's get you fed and find you a room."

###

"Well?" Killian asked, setting down a bag and a drink carrier with two coffees before tossing the key card on the table.

Emma was sitting up in bed, holding her phone in her hand.

"I talked to my parents," Emma answered. "They're going to talk to Belle. We'll know soon enough."

"Robin and Roland have already had breakfast," Killian said. "He's taking the boy to a merchant to buy him some additional clothing for the journey. I told him we'd call him when we were ready to depart."

"So, what's in the bag?" She held up a hand. "Please don't tell me it's another breakfast burrito."

He gave her a dark look. "Donuts," he answered. "The kind with filling, and one with sprinkles."

She smiled at him. "You really know how to woo a girl."

He sat down on the side of the bed, reaching his hand out and looping a finger around the sheet, which was the only thing covering her.

"I'm about to say the hell with breakfast," he replied huskily.

"I need a shower," she demurred.

His hand slid down inside the sheet. "So do I. I'll wash your back if you wash mine."

"Deal," she agreed, kissing him. "And then the donuts."

###

"Dora? Dora, it's Archie."

"Yes, I'm here," she called out, then she opened the door. "I'm here."

"Would you like to come to breakfast?" he asked. "There are some people I'd like you to meet."

She looked dubious. "I don't know..."

"Come on now," he smiled. "Dinner last night was completely uneventful. Wouldn't you agree?"

She wouldn't, actually.

She'd enjoyed her first hamburger, and Archie had made her laugh and she hadn't laughed in...well, in a very long time. And then he'd procured a room for her here at Granny's and seen her safely to it's door. When was the last time anyone had cared for her well being?

Never. No one had ever treated her with this much kindness before. It was wonderful, but at the same time it was worrying. How much longer before it all went wrong?

"The fact that it was uneventful makes it eventful," she said. "And you really don't have to buy me breakfast. Once I can find work, I can repay you."

Archie shook his head. "It's my pleasure. Really. I'd love to know more about you. Last night, you were so quiet, I was afraid I was boring you."

"Oh, no! You mustn't think that!" she burst out, then she flushed and looked at her toes. "I mean...no one ever talks to me. I never talk to anyone. I forgot how nice it is to simply sit and...talk."

"Are you hungry?" Archie asked. "Granny's has the best pancakes in town. Well, the only pancakes in town...but they're still good."

She gave him a hesitant smile. "I'll take your word on that. I've never had a pancake."

"Right this way," he said, leading her into the restaurant. She sucked in a breath before stepping into the room, looking around warily. Behind the counter, Red accidentally dropped a mug and Dora spun around instantly, shaking her head wildly.

"Dora...Dora!" Archie's hands settled soothingly on her shoulders. "It's all right. She just dropped a mug. Nothing else. Nothing _worse_."

She leaned into him, trying to calm down. Her voice was muffled in the front of his shirt.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Everything's fine."

She peeked up again, then glanced over at Red, who was giving her a contrite smile.

"Sorry," Red called out. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Dora looked confused. "You're apologizing...to _me?_ "

Now it was Red's turn to look confused. Archie gave her a smile and a look that clearly told her to leave well enough alone, and then he walked Dora over to a table where Snow, David, Henry and Belle were already seated. Dora's eyes grew wide when she saw David, and she began to tremble all over, her eyes filling with tears.

Just then, Leroy entered, tripping over the doorstep and slamming into a table, knocking another resident off to the floor, where she rolled into Red, who was carrying a tray of dirty dishes she'd just cleared away. Everything fell to the floor, and shattered glass and china flew in all directions.

Dora turned to run, but Archie blocked her way.

"Let me go!"

"Dora, no! Calm down." She feinted left and he moved to counter her. Behind them, Leroy let out a groan, then rolled to his feet, bumping his head into the underside of the table.

"Can't you see!' Dora said, in a full panic now. "I'm not safe! Let me go!"

Archie did the only thing he could think of to do. He pulled her into him, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

"You won't hurt me, Dora. And I know you don't want to hurt anyone else. You can manage this. Pretend it's just you and me here, all right?"

Snow slid out of the booth, giving David a weighted look as she helped Leroy to his feet. Granny rushed in from the back with a dustpan and brush, and Archie just stood there, holding Dora until everything was cleaned up and cleared away, and Leroy got his breakfast sandwich and made a getaway.

"Can we try to sit down now?" Archie asked.

She looked up at him with tear soaked eyes. "I - I don't know. I'm afraid."

"Well, we're not afraid of _you_ ," Henry said.

"I'm not afraid of you," David agreed.

"You took good care of my son," Snow said warmly. "I'd like to thank you."

"And I'd like to know a little more about you," Belle said. "Because I think we may be able to help you."

Dora looked at them all in surprise. "You would...help me?"

"We'd like to try," Snow said. "Won't you please sit down?"

Dora glanced up at Archie, who gave her a supportive nod. He pulled out a chair, and she carefully slid into it.

"Now...Dora..." David looked her. "Do you prefer 'Dora' or 'Pandora'?"

"Dora." She and Archie both said it together. She smiled. "I prefer Dora. Pandora is a name that has more than its share of infamy."

"That's true," Belle agreed. "But stories aren't always fact. I think if we're to help you, we need the real story. Your story."

###

"Phone." Emma's voice was muffled by the pillow. Killian didn't move, so she repeated: "Phone."

"I hear it, love. But it's your phone."

"Crap."

She slid her leg off of him and rolled out of his arms, pushing at the tangled sheets and finally slamming her hand down onto the nightstand and gripping the phone.

"This is Emma," she answered, once she saw the number. "Really? No, a minivan is fine. It's perfect, actually. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay, I'll meet you there at eleven."

She ended the call and laid the phone back down before rolling back over and facing Killian, who was laying on his back.

"We have to get moving," she said. "That was my contact. He got us a car - well, a minivan. We have to meet him in the Bronx."

Killian didn't move, or open his eyes for that matter. "Is that far?"

"Not really, but we're using public transportation, so it'll take an hour." She poked his side. "Come on...get up."

"Have a heart, love. You damn near killed me in there." He opened his eyes to see her grinning a very smug and satisfied grin.

"That was payback," she said. "For last night."

"Do you have any idea how difficult it was to carry you one handed, dripping wet across a tile floor with my head still spinning from the aftermath of your ministrations?"

"You bounced back pretty well," she said.

He gave her a crooked grin. "I told you...I'm a survivor." He reached over, pulling her in for his kiss. "And I believe I owe you now."

"Oh. We're keeping count?"

"Mmm-hmm." He kissed her again. "I can't leave it uneven like that."

"You overindulged me last night, as I recall," she reminded him. She rested her hand on his jaw, brushing it lightly with her fingertips. "You and your ticklish whiskers."

His eyes darkened. "You have very sensitive thighs."

Emma's eyes dropped to his lips, remembering every single brush of them against her, the heat of that incredible mouth and the silky slide of his tongue...she pushed back, and sat up.

"We don't have time to be starting things up again," she said. "We need to get dressed and find Robin."

"Quite right, Swan. If I'm to even the score, it won't be in a hurried fashion." The gleam in his eye made her forget how to breathe for a moment. And from the brow he raised, he knew it, too.

"Come on," she said - a little grumpily. "We'll eat the donuts on the way."


	18. Dora's Story

"Why don't you just start at the beginning," Snow suggested. "Tell us how you came to be here. In Storybrooke, I mean."

She leaned back so that Red could place her breakfast in front of her, along with all the other plates as well.

Belle shook her head. "No, I think we need to go further back. If I'm to decide whether or not Rumple comes back, I need to know how he got the box."

"And it wouldn't hurt to know what the box is capable of," David added.

Dora stared mutely at all of them, but Archie gave her a gentle nudge.

"Go on, Dora," he encouraged. "We're friends here. We want to help."

Dora looked at David. "Why would you help me? I nearly killed you."

"Look, none of this is your fault," David said. "You didn't ask for all of this, anymore than we did. Did you?"

Henry scrunched up his face apologetically. "She _did_ open the box."

"No, I didn't."

Dora's words hung for a moment, then she looked down, as if she'd spoken out-of-turn. Archie reached over and gently lifted her chin.

"Start from the very beginning, Dora," he said. "Tell us everything. No one will judge you here."

Dora took a hesitant breath.

"I had been a foundling," she began. "And Athena had brought me to Olympus. They raised me there, and many of the Gods gave me gifts as I grew. Athena taught me to weave and to hunt. Hermes gave me the gift of travel - showing me how to cross portals. Apollo gave me a light that can transcend any darkness. Aphrodite gave me beauty, but then added weariness to my lot when it appeared I might become as lovely as her. For the most part, I was happy there."

"So you're a god?" Henry asked, his eyes wide.

She smiled at him indulgently. "No, Henry. I am human. Just like you. Though my life was extended during my time on Olympus. Time moves very differently there, as it does in some realms."

"What brought you back to our realm? he asked.

Dora's face grew weary again, and the name fell from her lips.

"Zeus."

Belle's face clearly showed her understanding, while the others were still in the dark.

"Zeus was a known womanizer," Belle explained. "And as the most powerful of the Gods, no one was out of reach. Let me guess...he noticed you."

Dora nodded. "He was very flattering, and I knew nothing of men. Hera made him so discontented, and when he was with me he seemed...more carefree, somehow. I thought I could change him. Make him happy." The word was bitter, and she continued on. "But Hera noticed, of course. She was all-seeing, and very used to Zeus and his meanderings among the humans. She tried to kill me, but Zeus intervened. Instead, he removed me from Olympus, making me a gift to Epimetheus.

"He was a Titan, and a selfish man. He acted recklessly, and was nearly always regretting his actions. He had wealth due to his position, and a certain protection that went with being an original inhabitant of Olympus, but he was no one of real consequence, and often overlooked by the gods. Zeus thought I'd be safe there, as Epimetheus's bride. He sent the box along with me, charging me to keep it safe. It held great power, and he didn't want it falling into Hera's hands, or the hands of the mortals who were starting to question their Gods."

"Did Zeus tell you what was in the box?" Snow asked.

"No," Dora replied quietly. "He only told me that it must not be opened."

"So you were forced into a marriage with Epimetheus," Archie reiterated. "Then what?"

"Zeus continued to visit me for awhile," she said, smiling softly. "Always when he'd sent my husband off on a task or a journey. I thought that surely, he must love me. Then one day, he stopped coming. I learned later later that someone named Europa caught his eye. And then someone after that. And another after that. I was only one of a very long line of women, some human, some not. None of us special."

"I disagree with that," Archie said, then when everyone looked at him, he blushed furiously. "I mean...I can't believe he treated you like that."

"Thank you," Dora smiled. "It was hard to accept at first, but I did. I even tried to make the best of it, trying to get to know my husband better, but Epimetheus was cold and selfish. He felt he'd married beneath him and he reminded me of it constantly. I refused his attentions, and it only made him angrier, as he felt he was owed them. He had many consorts, however. For a short time, I thought we might live peacefully, if not truly as husband and wife.

"What happened? Did Zeus come back?" Belle asked.

"No. And on one of his journeys, Epimetheus did a terrible thing - he stole from Zeus something of great value: fire."

"Fire?" Belle asked. "But didn't his brother steal fire? That's why Zeus punished him."

"That's what everyone thought. Prometheus was innocent. Epimetheus made it look as though he had taken the fire, and given it to the humans, but it was Epimetheus who'd done it. And this wasn't the fire you know. This was magic. A magical fire that could be summoned and used as a weapon."

"Regina's fireballs," Snow said. "Fire magic is some of the hardest to master."

"And Epimetheus released it into the mortal realm. He'd thought when Zeus blamed Prometheus, he'd gotten away with it, but Hercules released Prometheus, and the truth was going to come to light at any moment. Epimetheus came home terrified, only to find my secret waiting for him."

"Your secret?" Snow asked.

"My child. Zeus's daughter." Dora's voice grew wistful, sad. "My husband was away for much of the time that I was increasing. I gave birth to her while he was gone and I named her Hope. We had only a few short months together before Epimetheus returned, and when he saw my daughter, he was angry. So angry. We fought, and when I tried to take Hope and leave him, he locked us in a room, taking the box. He was going to trade it to a powerful magician in return for a protection spell that would hide him from the gods."

"That would be Rumple," Belle said. "Rumplestiltskin. His records show that he gave Epimetheus a protection spell."

"I followed him, along with Hope. He didn't realize a locked door wouldn't hold me, thanks to gift that Hermes gave me. I thought if I could steal the protection spell from him, I could use it on Hope. I wanted her to be protected from Hera - if she knew Hope was a child of Zeus, no place would be safe for her. So I followed Epimetheus, but he discovered me, and in a fit of fury - he opened the box."

"So _he_ unleashed all the troubles of the world?" Henry asked, his eyebrows raised.

"It felt like it. The box didn't contain everyone's troubles, of course," Dora explained. "Mankind is quite adept at making its own trouble. But it held a powerful curse, that brought trouble in its wake. It landed on me, and it sent me straight to Hera."

"What happened to the baby?" Snow whispered.

Dora's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know. Hera imprisoned me in Tartarus - it was the only place I couldn't escape from. She put me in a burning room, where I suffered for centuries, eons...never knowing...always wondering..." Her voice broke, and Snow put a hand to her mouth, horrified.

"How did you manage to free yourself?" David asked.

"One day, the door suddenly opened. There was no explanation. That was decades ago, and I began searching the realms, looking for my child. It became apparent that the curse was still upon me, hurting people, causing calamity. I need to find the man who has the box, this Rumplestiltskin. If we can remove the curse from me and put it back safely in the box, I can search unfettered. Perhaps I can find her."

"You've been free for decades?" Belle looked confused. "You don't look like you've aged."

"I believe so. It's hard to be sure. For a brief period, time stood still. I was trapped in another realm, and when time began moving again, decades had passed."

"You were in the Enchanted Forest," Snow said, nodding. "Cora froze part of the realm during the original curse upon the land. You must have been caught in it. By the time you were released, Rumple was already here."

"The divinations finally led me here. Can I speak with him? Please?" Dora pleaded. "I'll do anything. I just want to find my daughter."

Archie looked at her with a wealth of sympathy in his eyes. "Dora...what makes you think she's still alive? If it's been eons?"

"She's a demi-god," Henry pointed out. "She could be."

"Or she may be in Olympus," Dora replied. "You can only get into Olympus if a god escorts you. The realm is hidden from all others. I haven't yet met a god in my travels, but they do visit the other realms for sport and amusement."

"Could Epimetheus have her?" Archie asked. "Maybe he took her to Zeus? In an effort to get back in his favor?"

"No. I don't believe so. He'd be just as likely to incur Hera's wrath. And Zeus never much cared for his offspring, one way or another. We all knew that." Her mouth twisted wryly. "I just want to know," she said. "I just want to know what happened to my daughter. Can you understand that?"

Snow reached out, grasping Dora's hand. "I understand," she said. "David and I lost our daughter, too. It took years for her to find us, and break the curse that separated us. We'll do whatever we can to help you."

Belle nodded. "I can start in the library. Perhaps there are stories passed down about a demi-god named Hope. We might be able to figure out where she went from there."

"I can help!" Henry volunteered.

"And Emma has already talked to Rumplestiltskin, who might have some further information for us," David said. Snow gave him a nudge in the ribs with her elbow, and her eyes shifted to Archie, who was smiling down at Dora, showing her how to put syrup on her pancakes.

"Regina is meeting us at the library in five minutes to talk about strategy," Snow said, giving Belle a pointed look. Belle, who was also looking at an enraptured Archie, gave her a secretive smile.

"Yes, we do have to be going," she agreed. "Archie, you'll stay with Dora? Show her around town?"

"Maybe if she meets everyone, and gets to know us, the impact of the curse won't be so bad," Henry suggested. "Once she started talking to us, nothing happened."

David looked nonplussed. "He's right. Why is that?"

"Hope." Snow said it softly. "You named your daughter well. Hope is the one thing that's broken the curse for each of us, and it seems to work for you, too - on a temporary basis. Once you're getting to know someone, feeling hopeful about them and about fitting in..."

"Everything becomes...normal." Dora said it with wonder. "I can almost say sometimes that I'm happy."

"We want you to be happy," Archie said. "I like you happy."

She looked up at him, and the smile she gave him made him forget what he was saying. He reached blindly for the syrup and poured his coffee over his pancakes instead.

Snow took David's arm and Belle put a hand to Henry's shoulder, and they all filed out, heading down the street to the library. Once inside, Belle leaned back against the counter as Regina walked in.

"So what's the story with the walking calamity?" she asked. "I've been at the office all morning, trying to undo the mayhem."

"She's been cursed," Snow replied. "The box held a curse that stuck with her. She's hoping that if she finds the box, she can contain the curse again."

"And that means...Rumple." Belle said.

"Rumple." Snow repeated. "He's got all the answers."

"We have to let him back in," Belle said. "If there's a chance of her finding her daughter. Or having a normal life."

"She's got a daughter?" Regina asked.

"The curse separated them," Snow replied. "My heart breaks for her. No wonder she took such good care of Neal."

"We don't even know if it'll work once we find the box," David said. "We know it can suck people in, but curses? What if that was a one-way trip?"

"I was in there, remember?" Henry said. "Once that thing is opened, nothing gets away until it's released by magic."

"The dagger." Belle chewed her lip. "I don't trust Rumple not to find a way to take the dagger back. He's done it before."

"Regina?" Snow looked at her. "You're the obvious choice."

Regina backed away, holding up a hand. "No. Oh, no. That's exactly why it can't be me. And with my history? You _really_ don't want to tempt me with a dark dagger."

"You're not like that anymore," Henry said. She reached over, pulling him in for a hug.

"So who can we trust with the dagger?" Regina said.

Belle tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I have an idea."

###

Archie held the door open for Dora, and she stepped through, pausing to feel the sunlight on her face.

"It's good to feel warm again," she said. "The forest can be cold. All that shade."

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Archie asked. "The park is lovely, and so is the beach. We might even meet people along the way."

She looked nervous again, and he reached down, taking her hand. "We'll take it slow. All right?"

She curled her fingers around his. "All right."

He led her down the steps, and something flickered - Dora caught it out of the corner of her eye - causing her to look up. There, on top of a nearby telephone pole, sat a large, golden bird. Dora's eyes widened, and she stumbled. Archie slid an arm around her to steady her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she replied, and her gaze flitted to the bird again. Archie's eyes followed their track and he stared in amazement.

"You know, I've never seen an eagle in Storybooke," he said. "He's a big one."

"Yes, he is," she agreed, still not breaking her gaze. The bird, as if sensing he was being talked about, flew away.

"Shall we go?" Archie said, reaching down to take her hand again. Dora let him lead her along, but her eyes kept returning to the sky.


	19. Promises and Plans

"This is it," Emma said, slowing the van to a stop and pulling off to the side of the road. "And now for the moment of truth." She switched off the ignition, and turned to look back at Robin and Gold.

"According to Henry, I'm supposed to be covered," Robin said. "Something about special water from a well."

"Will that work for you, too?" Emma asked Gold.

"Alas, the water only returns that which was _lost_ to you. It does nothing for that which you told to leave." He gave her a mirthless smile. "And as Belle has _reluctantly_ agreed to let me back in, I would say we're going to need the Snow Queen's scroll to get me through the barrier."

"I'll call my parents and have them bring it along," Emma said, just as her phone rang. "It's Regina," she said, holding it up to her ear. "She can see us," she said to Robin. "Okay. He's going to try now." Emma ended the call and gave Robin a smile. "Let's see if this works."

They all exited the vehicle, and Emma stepped between Killian and Gold. He gave her an arched brow in response, but didn't make any comment. Robin, in the meantime, was walking slowly toward the barrier, extending a protective hand as he went. A moment later, the air seemed to shimmer, and he was through.

"We're next," Emma said to Killian.

"What about him?" Killian jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Gold.

Emma pasted on a patronizing smile. "He's just going to have to trust us. And then he's going to have to behave." She turned to face him. "And I'll have your word on that or you're not setting foot in there."

"We've had this discussion, Miss Swan," he replied coldly. "And as I am not in possession of my dagger, I'm hardly in a position to do you any harm."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she said. "I want your word that you will not harm - or influence anyone else to harm - anyone in this town."

He stared at her, obviously not pleased. "You have my word." His voice was quiet, but carried the weight of the promise. Emma gave him a pointed look, and with a nod to Killian, they stepped through.

Henry was there to greet them.

"Mom!" He threw his arms around her, hugging her tight.

"Hey, kid," she said, rocking as she hugged him back. "Miss me?"

"It's been crazy," he said, pulling back to smile at her. "But I think we're on top of it now. We just need the box."

He looked over Emma's shoulder at Gold, who was standing patiently on the other side of the barrier. Emma turned to look at him.

"No Belle?" she asked.

"She didn't want to be here. She said she had a way to keep him from interacting with her."

"That'll go over well," Emma said.

"She needs to hide that bloody dagger," Killian replied. "Before he gets here."

"She's got it all taken care of," Henry said. "And Grandpa and Grandma are here." He pointed toward the road, where David's truck had just pulled up.

"Emma!" Snow barely waited for the truck to stop moving before she was in motion, running to throw her arms around her daughter. "Oh, Emma!"

"I'm back," Emma said, grinning.

"You're back." Snow grinned back, then turned to look at Killian. "And we have you to thank for it."

Killian smiled a little uncomfortably, rubbing his ear with embarrassment. "She'd have worked it out eventually. I just hurried things along."

"Well, whatever you did, it was appreciated," David said, coming up behind Snow to have his turn at hugging Emma. "Leave it to you to figure out a way, Killian."

"Henry and Regina helped," Killian said. "They knew where she'd gone."

"Speaking of Regina," Emma said, looking over at Regina, who hadn't stopped kissing Robin yet. "Have they been doing that since Robin stepped through?"

Henry wrinkled up his nose. "Yep."

"Guess they've got some lost time to make up for," Emma said, a little embarrassed at the sight of the two of them, kissing each other senseless. She turned to her parents. "Have you got the scroll?"

David held it up. "Right here. Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Are you nuts?" Emma said. "No, we can't trust him. But he's the only one who knows where the damn box is."

"Then let's get this over with." David walked over to the barrier, throwing the scroll across. Gold leaned down and picked it up, reading and then stepping through. He stared at the blank and impassive faces of everyone, including Regina - who had finally stopped kissing Robin.

"I suppose a cheery welcome is out of the question?" Gold quipped dryly.

"You're coming with me," David said.

"We need to grab something to go at Granny's - we skipped dinner and drove straight through," Emma replied. "Where are we meeting?"

"At the library," he said. He caught the slight widening of Gold's eyes and held up a hand to forestall that thought. "Belle won't be there," David said. "She doesn't want to see you."

"Can you at least be good enough to reassure me that she's all right? Despite our newest resident?" Gold's voice was terse, and the tension in his body was evident.

"She's fine," David said. "But she was firm on that point. She doesn't want to talk to you."

Gold gave a reluctant nod, then opened the door and got in the truck. Regina took Henry and Robin, following in her car as Emma turned back to Killian.

"I almost feel sorry for him," Emma said.

Killian looked incredulous. "Are you mad?"

"I'm not saying he didn't earn it," she replied. "It's just sad what power can do to you, if you let it."

"The crocodile made his bed," Killian said, with a good deal of venom. "A man who won't fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets. Especially if the one he needs to fight is himself."

"Like the way you gave up your vengeance?" she said quietly.

His eyes softened. "It was an easy trade. And that kind of anger can sustain you, but it doesn't heal you."

She reached out, taking his hand. "Stay close to me. They might think our resident calamity is safe, but I'm not taking any chances."

He squeezed her fingers. "I've got you, love."

She leaned in, kissing him softly. "We've got each other,' she said.

And when she turned to walk to the van, he stood frozen a moment, his fingers lingering on his lips, wondering if she even realized the wealth of meaning she'd just put into those words.

###

The man slid into a seat at the counter at Granny's, and Red's mouth dropped open. Granny raised a brow and turned to see what got her attention, and her own jaw dropped a little.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll give you that one. Where did he come from?"

"Do I care?" Red answered. "I've got his order." She strolled to the other end of the counter, leaning in provocatively. "Hi there," she breathed. "Can I help you?"

The man looked up, slowly and appreciatively. "I don't know," he answered. "But I might want to find out."

"I'm Red," she answered. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you come over in the second curse?"

"I'm relatively new," he hedged, with a smile that made Red forget what she was asking. She fumbled for her order pad. "Uh...can I - get you something? To eat?"

"Surprise me."

She flushed, and turned away, fighting the urge to fan herself. Granny shook her head as Red walked into the doorjamb on her way to the back.

The man at the counter turned his head as the front door opened, his eyes locking on Emma as she walked up to the register, with Killian behind her.

"Hey, Granny," she said.

"Welcome back," Granny smiled.

"Any chance of us getting a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches and a bag of fries?"

"I can make that happen. I can maybe throw in a pie, too."

Emma's eyes nearly rolled back in her head. "That would be _so_ appreciated."

"I'm just going to go and wash up," Killian said, giving her a peck on the cheek before heading to the back. Emma stood waiting, drumming her fingers on the counter. She was completely oblivious to the man who was staring at her so intently. Red pushed through the doors a moment later.

"Hi Emma!" she called out, balancing a plate in one hand. "Granny's packing your order. It'll only be a minute."

"Thanks." Emma pulled out her phone, scrolling through the messages and texting Henry to let him know they were soon to be on their way.

"Her name is Emma?" The man asked Red, leaning in a bit and lowering his voice.

Red's brow creased. "Uh...yeah. She's the sheriff here. Were you...looking for her?"

He smiled a slow and very, very sexy smile. "I think I might be."

Red slid his plate towards him. "I can save you some time," she said. "Emma's with Hook - the guy she came in with."

"Is that so?" He didn't seem phased at all.

"Yeah." Red was not feeling so friendly now. "That's Granny's lasagna. It's a house specialty." She ripped off the ticket, laying it down next to his plate. "You pay up front."

She turned and walked into the kitchen without a backward glance, but the man didn't seem to notice. His eyes were still firmly on his prize. He hadn't come here for entertainment, but she was an unexpected bonus. The other one would do, but this one...this Emma...he could feel the power in her, even from here. Someone with that much power radiating around them was guaranteed to burn like fire once you ignited them.

His gaze flicked to Killian as he passed by. And he took note of the proprietary hand Killian put to Emma's back. A few moments later, Granny emerged with a large box loaded with food, and the two of them took it and left.

The mortal was handsome, he supposed, but he was no obstacle. Mortals never were.

He'd take his pleasures, and when he found Rumplestiltskin, he'd turn him to dust - and maybe the town as well, just to teach them all a lesson.


	20. Dealing With The Devil

"Okay," Emma said, leaning her elbows on the table and looking at Gold. "Tell us where you put the box."

"Before I reveal its location," Gold said, "It might be best if I tell you about the box itself. You're dealing with forces that you might not want to unleash."

"You had no qualms about unleashing that force while we were in Neverland," Regina reminded him.

"Precisely," Gold said. "We were in another realm. The opening of this particular box comes with a frequently nasty side-effect."

"The troubles of the world," Emma said.

"No. That particular curse had already been unleashed when I received the box, much to my dismay," he explained. "The side-effect I'm discussing is the notice of the beings who owned that particular box."

"The gods of Olympus," Regina said. "But you opened it when we got back to Storybrooke."

"I didn't have much choice," he reminded her. "Or would you rather I'd have left Henry trapped inside?"

She gave him a look and he continued. "When nothing proceeded our opening of the box, I had hoped we'd managed to avoid any notice, but with our visitor here, it's nearly a sure bet that our luck won't hold."

"Why did you keep it, if it's so damn dangerous?" Emma pointed out. "Why take a chance?"

"The box was still a powerful magical object, even without the curse," he said. "And I have found it useful, upon the odd occasion."

"So Epimetheus tried to sell it to you?" David asked. "Even though the curse had been released?"

"He was seeking protection," Gold said. "He'd made the deal before he opened the box, and he thought I wouldn't notice. I did, of course, which meant I was in no way bound to deliver on my end."

"So you refused him?" Snow clarified.

"No. I gave him a simple protection spell," Gold said. "It didn't shield him at all from what was hunting him, but he didn't catch the common cold again, either."

"You can cure the common cold?" Henry asked, his eyes wide.

"Henry." Emma rolled her eyes.

"What? That's so cool!"

"Back to the subject at hand," Killian said tersely.

"Apt, coming from you," Gold retorted before he continued. "Epimetheus left, he didn't live to see another sunrise, and I made a hasty exit before the box was discovered to be in my possession."

"Was Epimetheus alone?" Snow asked. "Did he have a child with him?"

"He was alone," Gold said. "If there was a child, he'd disposed of it long before he got to me."

"Or the curse whisked the baby away somewhere," Emma said.

"It doesn't work that way."

Dora's voice was soft, hesitant. They'd all almost forgotten she was there, since she insisted on sitting far to the back of the room, concerned as she was for everyone's safety.

"Babes are untouched by the curse, or so it has been," she said. "I think because their innocence protects them. Most haven't lived through dark times to be sent back to them."

Her chin quivered a bit. "He must have...done something," her voice was clogged with tears. "Perhaps he sold her. Or..." She couldn't go on, and Archie reached a supportive arm around her.

"We don't know that, Dora. You said she was the child of a god - could one of them have recognized her? Taken her back to Olympus?"

"Can demi-gods live in Olympus?" Robin asked.

"It's frowned upon," Dora replied, "However it wasn't unheard of. But Hope was the child of Zeus. Hera would have killed her the moment she realized what she was."

"Maybe he hid her somewhere?" Emma replied.

Dora stood abruptly. "Don't you see? There is no hiding from them! Without me to protect her, she couldn't have survived. She's dead. My daughter is dead." She started for the door, and Archie reached out to grab her arm.

"Stop!" She cried out, and David shouted "Archie!"

It was too late - he was gone. Vanished in an instant, and Dora stood shaking, her hand clasped over her mouth in horror.

David was out of his chair and moving toward Dora a second later, despite Snow shouting his name, and Henry right behind him as Emma lunged across the table to stop him. Her fist closed around the tail of Henry's shirt, and then she was holding nothing but air.

"I - I'm s-sorry! I'm so sorry!" Dora shrieked, and she turned and ran for the door, pushing through and out into the night. Snow rushed over to where David lay on the ground, slowly rolling him over. His eyes were wide, unfocused. He clawed at his side, and Snow reached up under his shirt, lifting it.

And then she stared in horror at the Dreamshade, creeping toward his heart.

###

"We'll find him Swan. We just need to think."

"What if he's in Neverland, Killian? I'm surprised he wasn't sent there to begin with." Her frightened eyes met his, and he pulled her in, holding her close.

"We need to find Ariel. She can locate the boy if he's in Neverland. And there's nothing there that can hurt him anymore."

"Wild boars? Dreamshade? Marauding pirates? Who knows?" Emma spluttered.

"We don't know that he's there," Killian said. "He could be here, but unable to call us. Think, Swan."

"My father is dying of Dreamshade poisoning, and we have nothing to make an elixir with. My son is missing. I can't think!"

Regina stood up and headed for the door. "I've had enough," she bit out.

Emma looked up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find that walking calamity and she's going to tell me where Henry is. And then I'm going to lock her up for the safety of everyone in this town."

"You're going to put her in jail?" Robin raised his brows.

"Why not? We used it when the Snow Queen rained discord on our heads - and if she's as concerned as she seems to be, I think she'll agree it's the safest place for her, short of burying her in a tomb somewhere."

Emma suddenly froze. "Burying her..." she murmured.

"What's that, Swan?" Killian picked up on her mood instantly.

"I think I might know where Archie is...and maybe Henry, too. We need Leroy!"

"The mines!" Regina nodded. "That's right - they might be trapped again.

"Take Pongo," David gasped. "He helped last time." He struggled to sit up.

"Take it easy," Emma advised. "The less you exert yourself, the better."

"There's nothing you can do?" Snow turned pleading eyes to Gold. "Don't you remember how you made the elixir?"

"Of course I do," Gold replied. "But as Miss Swan pointed out - I have none of the original water to replicate."

"It's hopeless," David said grimly. Snow buried her head on his chest, and had just started sobbing when Killian's voice broke in.

"I wouldn't say that, mate," he replied. "It just so happens I came here from Neverland. And as a precaution, I filled my flask with water from the spring." At Emma's disbelieving look, he continued. "I didn't want to be caught without it if I should run into a patch of Dreamshade. I've enough here to revive you, and the rest can be made into the elixir." His eyes held Gold's and Gold stared back, unblinking.

"Killian!" Snow ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Oh my God, thank you!"

He handed her the flask and she knelt next to David, who took it from her, tipping it up and taking a healthy swallow - which he immediately coughed and choked on.

"It's working," Snow replied, staring down at the skin on his side, and the reversing path of the Dreamshade. In moments, he was fully healed.

"That tasted like rum!" David said, wiping his mouth.

"Probably because it was rum," Killian said, taking his flask back from Snow.

David was good and confused. "I don't understand," he said. "How am I not dead?"

"You didn't need the water, mate. You only needed the hope." Killian saluted him with the flask before helping himself to a drink.

"Brilliant!" Snow said, clearly impressed.

"Nice of you to notice," Killian said cheekily. "Now, how do we get to Henry?"

"Down the elevator would be fastest," Regina replied. "And David is right - Pongo can sniff them out faster than going alone."

"You're still going after Dora?"

"Yes," Regina replied. "And I'm taking him with me." She tilted her head over at Gold.

"I'd prefer to sit and wait, if you don't mind," he replied.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Regina replied. "And you're going to take us to the box, while we're at it."

"I'm with Regina," Robin said.

"And so am I." Snow reached for her coat. "I know what it's like to be treated like a pariah. She needs a friend."

Emma nodded. "See if you can get her to voluntarily go down to the station - for her own good. If she refuses...we'll come up with another plan. I won't force her into a cell."

"We'll be diplomatic," Regina said, prompting Gold to give her a thoroughly snarky look. They filed out, leaving David with Killian and Emma.

"That's twice now you've saved my life," David said, extending his hand.

"Does this mean I'm allowed to date your daughter?" Killian asked.

David smiled. "I'll be out in the truck," he said, following the others through the door.

Killian started after him, but Emma pulled him back around.

"Hey," she said. "I think I owe you something."

He gave her a crooked grin and she pulled him closer, her fingers wrapped around the collar of his jacket. "I think it went something like...this," she said, kissing him long and lingeringly.

"I think I left my cellphone -" David's voice registered, but it didn't interrupt them. "Oh, for Pete's sake!" he fumed. "Can you just...not?"

Emma pulled back sheepishly and Killian looked over her shoulder at David.

"She owed me," he said with a shrug.

David raised a protesting hand. "Please. I don't want to know. Let's just...get Henry and Archie." He turned on his heel and headed back out the door, and Emma was pulled in again, as Killian kissed her once more.

"I'll save his damned life every day," he growled against her lips. "I'll even do his laundry, if this is the reward."

"Do _my_ laundry," Emma smirked. "Eliminate the middleman."

"Deal." He dropped one more light kiss on her lips. "Now, let's go save Henry...again."


	21. Prey

He'd watched her run from the library, alone, as if the hounds of hell were upon her heels. So the curse was still upon her. He transformed into his eagle self, the easier to follow her as she ran blindly, her sobs tearing the air around her. She collapsed to the ground when she could run no more, and he alighted in a tree above her, watching her.

Her beauty hadn't dimmed with the passing of time, but her weariness weighed upon her. stooping her shoulders and making her appear older than her years. He felt a twinge of something...the humans might call it sympathy. He'd had many humans, but only a few could be called special in anyway. She was one of the few. He ruffled his wings, preparing to fly down to her, when the sound of approaching footsteps arrested his actions.

The women with the dark hair approached, followed by the man with the bow, and -

He let out a screech, drawing their eyes, and a moment later, he alighted in front of them, morphing into human form as they all stood frozen. All except the one he faced now, with a look of utter contempt narrowing his eyes.

"Rumplestiltskin." He said the name like an epithet.

"I told them you'd be arriving," Gold said. He waved a hand carelessly at the others. "That isn't permanent, is it?"

"They are but paused."

Gold shrugged. "You never know with you. Your temper tends to get the better of you."

"So this is where you've been hiding?"

"I don't need to hide from the likes of you," Gold replied coldly. "You and I have no business with each other. Now, if you'll unfreeze them, we'll collect the stumbling menace -" he gestured to Dora - "And we'll be on our way."

"They cannot contain her. It will only make things worse. This we learned as she lay in Tartarus."

"So the Gods aren't immune?" Gold looked surprised. "I thought these were the troubles of _mankind_ we were discussing."

"Mankind and their troubles are directly tied to Olympus, as we are their guardians. The unleashing of this curse splintered the realms, sheered them further apart, and led to disbelief, discord, and the spread of dark magic - as you know."

"Don't blame your problems on us, dearie," Gold said quietly. "You Gods play at discord like world is made of harp strings. The question is: what are you going to do about it? You and I both know that this particular curse cannot be brought back once it has been unleashed."

"Yes. Just as you and I both know that the idea to open the box didn't come from the mind of a mere human. The Dark One had his own reason to unleash more dark power upon mankind."

Gold raised a protective hand. "You may want to hear what I have to say, before you take this conversation further."

"Enough!" Regina stepped forward, breaking out of the confinement spell. She looked at their visitor. "Whoever you are, you're good. I haven't been caught in a confinement spell that strong in decades."

He looked at her with admiration - that was of more than a professional kind. "And you are a surprise, as well," he said, his lips curving upward. "But a welcome one."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You might look like a Greek God, but the lines won't work on me," she said tightly. "I heard every word of this conversation. What the hell is going on? And who are you, exactly?"

"I grow tired of this conversation." He looked at Gold. "You and I are not finished."

A moment later, he was airborne, spreading his wings on the wind as he vanished in the sky. Snow, Robin and Dora sagged to the ground, gasping.

"Who the hell was that?" Robin demanded, helping Snow to her feet. Dora answered him, her voice muffled by the hands she pressed to her face.

"Zeus," she said. "That was Zeus."

"That was Zeus?" Snow's jaw fell. "King of the Gods?"

"They're not _our_ gods," Regina reminded her. "And right now, I'm feeling more interested than threatened." She looked over at Gold. "You've got some history with him."

"We made a deal once. He needed a powerful piece of dark magic, and only I had enough dark magic to create one. In return, I asked for the bow of Paris - a magical instrument that was known to never miss a target." Gold looked over at Robin. "Unfortunately, that didn't make it impervious to thieves."

"Was the magical instrument the box?" Regina asked. "Did you create the box?"

He gave her an annoyed look. "No. The box predates us all. I gave him something near and dear to your heart: an apple."

Snow's mouth parted. "The apple of discord. We studied it in our mythology unit. Eris tossed the golden apple of discord onto the table during a wedding feast at Olympus. It was inscribed with the words "To the fairest one," and three goddesses claimed it. A mortal who was thought to be fair was brought in to pick the one most worthy of the apple."

"And just as Zeus had hoped, Aphrodite employed all her charms," Gold said. "And won the apple by offering the mortal - a man named Paris - the most beautiful human woman in the world."

"Helen," Snow replied. "Her abduction started the Trojan war, which continued for ten years and claimed thousands of lives."

"And sent hundreds of thousands of offerings and prayers, and years of service to Zeus and the other gods of Olympus, just as he'd hoped for," Gold explained. "Men were growing weary, and their need for deities was growing scarce. A war brought it all back around."

"But that was thousands of years ago," Snow said, confused. "Even you aren't that old. Are you?"

"Did I say Troy was part of this realm?" he replied. "Time runs differently in other realms. The gods roamed between them easily enough back then, before men started delving into science and logic to explain the universe around them. And like most myths and magical legends, the stories traveled across realms with those who could do so, at the time."

"Zeus orchestrated it all?" Robin said, dismayed. "Why not just start the war himself?"

"Because it's always better to pull the strings than get your hands dirty," Regina said mirthlessly. "Right?" She gave Gold a pointed look, which he returned with a cold stare.

Snow squatted down, reaching out to gently touch Dora's arm.

"Dora? Why is he here? Do you know?"

Dora shook her head. "I don't know. Perhaps he hopes as I do - to find the box."

"Then we'd better beat him to it," Snow said, turning to Gold. "Where is it?"

"I'm not going to answer that, out here in the open," he said. "In case you haven't noticed, the man has an agenda. And if it involves the box, it can't be good."

"So we need to know his game plan," Regina said.

"Which can be easily accomplished," Gold said. "Zeus's downfall has always been a pretty face. You need only use your wiles to draw it from him."

"If he chooses you," Dora said quietly, drawing their attention again. "It will work, but only if he chooses you. Zeus doesn't like to be pursued. He likes the hunt. It's all a game to him, and he likes to pick his prey."

"So how do you pique the notice of a god?" Regina asked dryly.

Dora's face was a blank mask. "You pray that you don't."

###

"Henry! Archie!" Emma called out again. David shook his head, crouching down next to Pongo.

"I'm gonna take him off his leash," he said. "Maybe he'll catch the scent faster if we let him wander."

"Good idea," Emma agreed. "And I think we should split up. These mines are a lot larger than they look. Take Pongo that way," she gestured, "Towards the spot they were in before - just in case. I'll head down this corridor, and Killian, you head toward the side that goes toward the beach."

"Aye." Killian leaned in, giving her a quick peck. "Be careful."

"Will do," she promised, clicking on her flashlight and making her way down the tunnel ahead of her. It was easy to get turned around in the near pitch-blackness, so she gathered rocks every so often, laying them out into arrow formations at every cross-corridor, to remind herself of the way she'd come. After nearly half an hour with no luck, she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

Killian's hand came up, shielding his eyes as she shone the flashlight on him.

"Sorry," she apologized, lowering the beam to shine on the ground. "What's going on?"

"The boy has been found," he said, smiling.

"And Archie?"

"Yes. Both of them."

"And...?" She raised her brows.

"They're fine. Headed for the surface, even as we speak. I came to collect you." He stepped closer. "But there's no hurry to get back."

"Killian," she smiled, as he leaned in and kissed her. "Come on, this place gives me the creeps."

He put his hand on her waist. "Ah, but we're quite alone down here," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "And I do love the way the sounds echo in a cavern..."

"Sounds intriguing," she said, pushing against him. "Some other time, maybe."

He moved quickly, backing her into the rock wall behind her, pinning her there as his mouth pulled at her neck and throat, and his hand moved from her waist upward, cupping and squeezing her breast.

"Killian!" Her tone was sharp now. "I mean it! What the hell - get off me!" She pushed him hard, but he was immovable, insistent, and he was a lot stronger than she was. Emma was just starting to feel panic when a voice echoed down the corridor.

"Swan?"

She froze, and so did he. Her eyes met his and a second later, a flash of light pushed him backward. His eyes widened, and then he whirled, transforming in mid-air and flying off down the tunnel, dodging past Killian as he flew. Emma ran after him, coming up short in front of the real Killian.

"What the devil was that?" he asked. "How did a bird get down here?"

"That wasn't a bird," she panted, staring down the tunnel. "I think he was one of Dora's friends."

"Why was he here?"

"He could change his shape. He tried to make me think he was you." She wrapped her arms around herself. "He tried to -" she bit her lip, shaking her head, unable to say the words.

Killian's eyes flashed and he reached out for her cautiously. "Emma? Did he hurt you?"

She took two steps forward, all but throwing herself into his arms. "No," she said. "He didn't have time. I managed to use my magic to throw him off me, but he was really powerful." She pressed her face into his chest, and he could feel the slight tremble run down her spine. His forced his fist to uncurl as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Bloody bastard," he bit out. He managed to get a grip on his temper...just. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I've got you, love. I've got you," he said.

"Wait," she said, pulling back. "Did you find Henry?"

"No, and my tunnel was a dead-end, so I doubled back to team up with you."

She nodded, taking in a deep breath and pulling herself together. "We've got a few cross-sections to cover here," she said.

He reached down, taking her hand. "This time, we stay together."

"Together," she nodded.

She lifted her flashlight, shining it down the tunnel as she started forward, and Killian moved with her, his eyes narrowing as he stared into the darkness behind them.


	22. Paying The Price

"That was David," Snow said, holding up the phone. "He's got Henry and Archie. They're fine - Archie's got a cut on his forehead, so David's running him over to the hospital just to be safe."

"Thank the Gods," Dora said.

"About that..." Regina said. "Let's talk about your old friend, Zeus, shall we?"

"Do you think I invited him here?" Dora asked warily. "I haven't seen him in centuries. And he didn't even speak to me."

"No, he didn't," Regina said, a frown creasing her forehead. "He came all this way to see you and he didn't even talk to you. Why?"

"Because he didn't come for her," Gold said dryly. "Come now, Regina. You know Zeus's reputation as well as I do. She's just another on a very long list to him. The box is what he's here for."

"Can we trap Dora's curse in the box again, and then give it to him?" Snow asked. "That seems like the ideal solution."

"It does - only it won't work." Regina looked over at Gold. "You said as much to Zeus, and he didn't disagree."

Gold looked from Regina to Dora's stricken face.

"Is it true?" Dora whispered. "Am I to always bear this burden?"

"The curse cannot be returned to the box," Rumple said. "Not without taking you with it."

"Then we'll find another way," Snow said. "It's a curse. It can be broken. You need to have hope, Dora."

Dora shook her head. "There is none. Not for me."

"We have to help her," Snow said, turning to look at Gold and Regina.

Gold gave a negligent shrug. "There's nothing to be done. She's right." His eyes shifted looking out the window as he caught site of someone walking down the street.

Belle.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, and with a wave of his hand, he was gone. He materialized about a block away from Belle, staring down at the sidewalk in confusion. He should be standing right in front of her. Was he slipping?

She was still walking - in fact, she hadn't even noticed him showing up as he was behind her. He looked down at his hand warily, giving it a wave.

This time, he materialized mere feet from where he'd been before. Closer to Belle, but still a good distance away. His breathing picked up - there was magic at work here - he could feel it. It was as though his feet were stuck to the ground, allowing him to move the barest fraction of space at a time. He called her name. Belle froze, then turned slowly to face him.

"Rumple." She said it almost without inflection.

"Belle." His tone carried relief, and he tried to step forward - but again, something was holding him where he was. "Why can't I get closer?" he asked. "What have you done?"

She let out a breath - a sound of relief - and that realization was like a fist to his gut.

"I commanded it," she said. "I used the dagger, and I commanded that you stay away from me. It's better this way. Easier."

"Belle - listen to me," he pleaded. "Let me come closer so we can talk -"

She shook her head. "No, Rumple. We're not talking. And you're not going to be close to me ever again. It's the only way we can live in this town together. And the only way I can be sure you'll never have the dagger again."

His eyes widened, and the color drained from his face as she turned and continued walking. How the hell did he ever forget just how smart she was? It was the perfect failsafe. She kept the dagger, and commanded him to never come near her again. It protected her, and it protected everyone. It was brilliant.

It was maddening. He closed his eyes as the despair ate him alive.

###

"I just need to stop in and change my clothes and shoes," Emma said, opening the door to the apartment. "I should have had the foresight to put on some boots instead of sneakers. That puddle ended up being knee-deep."

"Caves near a coastline are notoriously damp," Killian pointed out. "I told you to be careful. You're lucky you didn't break your leg."

"You already yelled at me," she reminded, giving him a look.

"I worry about you, Swan. You can't fault me for that." He closed the door behind him "Where are we meeting them?"

"Over at Granny's. My Dad's going to get Archie and Henry checked out and meet us there. Belle thinks she's found something that we need to see, so I'll call the others and we'll all get together over dinner." She headed up the stairs. "Make yourself at home," she called back. "I'll be right down."

She turned at the top of the stairs and then froze in mid-stride. A man was sitting on the bed, and he was perfection. Perfectly chiseled face. Perfectly sculpted arms and chest, and from the looks of things beneath that tight tee shirt, abs. Dark, just barely curling hair over startling blue-gray eyes, framed with long, silky lashes. His lips were slightly full, inviting. Emma's jaw actually dropped a fraction as she took him in, and the corner of his mouth lifted, letting her know that he noticed her regard.

"Hello," Zeus said.

"Hello," Emma repeated carefully. "Who are you? And why are you sitting on my bed?"

"I wanted to introduce myself. Our last...meeting didn't go as expected, and I'm to blame for that. I need to make amends." Zeus got slowly to his feet, and Emma took a step back to the stairwell.

"Killian?" she called out. There was no response. Her eyes swung back to the man who had now stepped closer.

"Stop!" She put up a warning hand. "Not one step closer! What did you do to him?"

"He's fine," Zeus soothed. "Merely paused, so that you and I can...talk."

Emma hand went to the holster at her hip, resting there lightly. "I've seen how you talk. I'm not interested."

His mouth twitched again. "That's not what your eyes said, a moment ago."

"Who are you." Her face showed not the slightest trace of emotion. She wasn't stupid enough to give this guy even the barest hint of an opening.

He stared at her appraisingly, and if she wasn't mistaken, with more than a little admiration.

"You are full of surprises, you mortals. Not what I expected at all." He crossed his arms and leaned negligently against the bureau.

" _Mortals_? As in "you're _im_ mortal?" Emma's eyes widened. "What are you - a god or something?"

He looked a little perturbed now. "I am Zeus."

" _Zeus_? The big Kahuna? God of all gods?"

He liked that. Oh yes, he did. A slow grin spread across his face. "You've heard of me."

"Who hasn't heard of you? You're _Zeus_."

"Then you know what I can do for you. I am the all-powerful -"

Emma held up a hand, interrupting him. "I said I know who you are. I didn't say I was impressed."

He was back to perturbed again, but he covered it quickly, and the smile slid back into place.

"Forgive me," he said smoothly, "I was less than well-behaved at our last encounter. I had hoped if I appeared as someone you were more comfortable with, you wouldn't be intimidated by my attentions. I know it can be overwhelming to you mortals to have the favor of a god."

"You really have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?" She raised her brows, staring him down.

The polite veneer was beginning to crack - she could see it in his eyes. And along with that, she could see something else.

He liked it. He liked the way she challenged him. Emma guessed that probably didn't happen very often.

"I get that you're interested," she said. "But I've already got someone, thanks. I can't imagine a guy like you has a problem getting a date."

"Is that what they're calling it now?"

"Why are you here?" Emma steered the conversation back to where she wanted it. "Are you looking for Dora?"

"I followed Pandora, yes." He pushed off the bureau moving over to the window and drawing the curtain back to look. "I knew that she would be drawn to the box, wherever it was hiding."

"And you want the box."

"Among other things." He smiled over his shoulder at her.

"What do you need the box for?"

"The box is an incredibly powerful piece of dark magic - something that should have never been unleashed outside of Olympus - not without proper...supervision. The thief, Epimetheus took it from Pandora, and traded it to Rumplestiltskin, and he should never have been permitted its use," Zeus said coldly. "Because of his actions, large amounts of dark magic were released into another realm, and the backlash splintered portals and pushed the realms further apart."

"The Enchanted Forest," Emma said. "You mean there was no dark magic until the box was opened?"

"Only within magical artifacts, such as the dagger he wields. It was not free to be used at whim by anyone with magical ability."

"If we give you the box," Emma said, holding his eyes, "Can you remove the curse?"

"It is possible."

She stared at him a long moment, weighing his words, her superpower testing each one of them.

"But there's a catch," she said, her eyes narrowing.

He shrugged carelessly, turning away from the window. "I will remove the accursed box and return with it to Olympus. I can even take Pandora with me - sparing her a lifetime of remorse among the mortals and sparing this mortal realm her particular affliction."

"And what if she doesn't want to go with you?"

Zeus looked at her as if she were lacking a few points in intellect. "I can persuade her," he said confidently. "That won't be a problem."

"So you pretend to be her boyfriend and whisk her away to be imprisoned again?"

"She will not return to Tartarus. You have my word." He raised a brow. "And there is no passion between us anymore," he said. "If you were curious about that."

"I'm not."

"Are you curious about me? Because I vow I haven't met a magical creature as powerful as you in eons. Are you a demi-god? Part nymph, perhaps?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "No."

"From what source do you draw your power in this realm?"

"I'm the product of true love." Emma lifted her chin, and for the first time, Zeus looked...wary?

"Let me guess," she said. "You don't have any experience with that."

"Oh, but I do," he said, his eyes darkening as he stepped closer, stalking her as she stepped backward. "I can make your senses sing. I can bring you pleasure the like of which you have never experienced before. I can leave you shaking and replete and then rouse you to begin again. Endless hours of pleasure. Think about it...Emma."

The backs of his fingers caressed her neck, and his eyes held hers as he lowered his head.

Only to have her hand come over his face and push him back, hard.

"That's not love," she stated flatly. "Thanks for the offer, but I've got all that. And he doesn't need to brag. Or pretend to be someone he's not in order to get a woman," she sneered. "Now get out of my room. You know I can stop you."

Now she'd done it. He was angry. Really and finally angry.

"You cannot protect your mortal every moment. And he cannot stand between us. This isn't over." He whirled in a cloud of smoke and was gone.

Emma turned and ran down the stairs, skidding to a halt at the bottom. Killian looked up from the television set.

"I like this Netflix," he said, smiling broadly. "I'm watching a vivid story about a magical creature who lives in a pineapple under the sea."

Emma sagged against the stair railing in relief. Killian was on his feet in an instant, the smile fading from his face.

"What's happened?"

"He came back. Zeus. It's Zeus."

Killian's eyes widened. "Zeus! Are you all right?" he reached for her, cupping her face gently, and she nodded.

"He didn't hurt me."

"But he still wants you." Killian's jaw tightened.

"Worse," she said, reaching up to take his hand and twine her fingers with his. "He wants me, and he's willing to go through you to get me."


	23. Prophecy

She sat in the middle of the bed, with her arms around her knees. A warm shower had helped to soothe her, but she still felt as she always did - pulled and coming apart at the seams. As though her skin were stretched too tightly over her bones, excruciating and uncomfortable and unbearable.

She could have killed them all. And if she stayed, she probably would kill them all. Or they would be forced to kill her.

She was starting to think that death might be a relief.

She was so deep in her misery, that she didn't notice the shadow near the window, not until it began seeping in through the cracks and into her room, taking form. She raised her head from her knees and stared at him warily.

"Zeus."

"Pandora." He gave her a slight nod, his gaze sweeping her bare legs and the towel loosely wrapped around her body. Dora stiffened, pulling the ends more tightly around her and shifting her legs to the edge of the bed - as if she could flee. As if he couldn't stop her in an instant. What was the use?

"What do you want?" she asked listlessly.

He walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her. "I want what you want. I want you to have a fresh start."

That surprised her, and her face clearly showed it.

"You - you can free me? From the curse?"

"No." His voice was firm, but kind, and he reached out, stroking her hair back over her shoulder. "You always were the loveliest human," he murmured. "Aphrodite gifted you well."

"I have no need of your gifts," Dora said shortly. "They've only brought me misery."

"Hermes' gift got you here," he pointed out. "Travel between realms isn't something that mortals can do upon command. That very gift is what shielded you from my eye for the longest time. You move like a goddess, not a mortal."

"If you cannot help me, why are you here with me now? Your time with me is long over."

His eyes darkened. "It doesn't have to be. We could spend a lifetime together, you and I. I can see that you are taken care of. I can shield you from Hera and any in Olympus who would seek to harm you."

"Why?"

"What?" He looked confused. What mortal woman would refuse such an offer? This Storybrooke was a curious realm, indeed.

"I do not love you," she said. "Not anymore. And you never loved me. Why now?"

"Because we need each other," Zeus replied simply. He got to his feet, pacing the room. "Humankind has become jaded. They've outgrown us - at least in this realm. Perhaps it's time for Olympus to seek out friendlier pastures."

Dora looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"When I released you from Tartarus all those years ago, I expected you to wander until the box drew you to it," he explained. "I lost you for nearly thirty years. I thought perhaps you had been killed. Then you suddenly reappeared, and moved from that realm to this one, and in so doing, I found you again. Imagine my surprise when I realized where you'd come from."

"You've been to the other realm," Dora said. "You knew Rumplestiltskin."

"I did. And he is the very reason we never had more than a passing presence in that realm," Zeus growled. "Once he harnessed all the dark magic, he became a formidable foe who made it clear that he would never tolerate our presence there."

"And now that he's trapped here, you think to return to that realm?" Dora said, with understanding dawning in her eyes. "What makes you think they'll set their own gods aside and worship you?"

"You do." He gave her a winning smile. "You come back with me, to the other realm. I'll see that you are living in ease, secluded, and in return, I only ask that you take an occasional visit or a stroll with me from time to time."

"Raining discord and misery all around," she said venomously. "You think to use me to wear them down, and then the Gods of Olympus arrive to save them."

"Over and over again," he said. "Just like the old days. And it will be so much easier in that realm - they don't have the reliance on technology that these mortals have. They're much closer to the simple lives that suit us best."

Dora glared at him. "You mean lives that you can control!"

"Lives that we can enrich and ease, as the mood strikes us," he pointed out, with more than a little irritation. "We enjoy being benevolent, you know. Man will always find discord - you know this. But if the discord is directed, channeled - it can give them perspective. Make them appreciate the simple joys of life that much more."

"And this is how you justify your meddling in their lives?" Dora asked coldly. "In _my_ life?"

He wagged a finger at her as he stepped closer, and he looked down at her as though she were an amusing little plaything. "You enjoyed our time together, as did I. Do I need to remind you? I can have you crying my name and promising me anything - and you know that I can."

She hastily stepped back. "Please. No."

His smile faded, and his gaze hardened. "You forget your place. You were made by the gods, to serve the gods. And like it or not - I am your only hope of peace in any part of your lifetime, now. I'll give you until the sun sets tomorrow to make your choice."

He vanished in a dark cloud of smoke, seeping back through the window. Dora stared vacantly at the wall as his words turned over in her mind.

"You're not my only hope of peace," she whispered. "You're not."

###

"This," Belle said, placing the heavy tome down on the table, "Is why I asked you all to meet me here. I think I may have found something helpful."

"Is it an ancient Greek dating guide that tells me how to get rid of a stalker god?" Emma asked sardonically.

"No," Belle said, raising her eyebrows. "But it is a record of a prophecy made by the Oracle at Delphi - and I think it has something to do with us. Look at this."

She flipped the pages in the book until she found what she was looking for, pushing the book toward Snow, who read:

**_In a time of broken boundaries, by the burning of the fire_ **

**_He seeks to build an army; to burn the world upon a pyre_ **

**_By the unleashing of its chaos, by the turning of the tide_ **

**_Mankind will cry and tremble_ **

**_And the walls will not divide_ **

**_This truth I speak, this truth I know_ **

**_Call upon the lost_ **

**_For the truth to not be so_ **

**_Return the balance, no longer alone_ **

**_Lest mankind be enchained to a golden throne_ **

"Well," observed Killian. "There's nothing like a bit of light reading."

"And you think this references...who, exactly?" David asked.

"Zeus." Emma stated flatly. "It has to be Zeus."

"We don't even know if it's really a real prophecy," Henry pointed out. "Remember how weird some of the myths were? And there were a bunch of different versions?"

"He's right," Belle said. "There were usually discrepancies in translations. Embellishments. But this prophecy?" She tapped her finger on the book. "This prophecy appears in three separate works, and translated in exactly the same context, give or take a word or two."

"Maybe the same guy wrote all three books?" Henry pointed out.

"That's just it," Belle said. "They were all from the Oracle at Delphi, but from three different oracles, across nearly a thousand years."

"Well, we certainly know who chaos is," David remarked. "And if the golden throne represents Zeus and Olympus..."

"Then he's here to raise an army," Snow said.

"With the box?" Emma asked. "If the box were that powerful, why would he ever have let it out of his sight in the first place?"

"Because the box is only for storage," Regina said. "He needs a facilitator."

"He's using Dora as his weapon," Snow said, her eyes growing wide. "Emma, didn't you say that he offered to take her away?"

"Yeah, and 'take' was the operative word," Emma said grimly. "He's not much on free will."

"I'd better go make sure she's all right," David said. He started to get to his feet, but Snow pulled him back down gently. "Why don't you sit this one out," she said. "I think she's too nervous around you, anyway."

"I can go," Henry offered.

"Absolutely not," Regina and Emma said at the same time. Regina shook her head emphatically. "Robin and I will go."

"Actually," Snow said, as she dialed her phone. "I have someone else in mind."

###

"All right there, Swan?"

Emma nodded, squeezing Killian's hand as he leaned against the doorframe to his room. "Sorry. Just have my mind on this prophecy thing."

"Really? I'd have thought by now you'd grown bored of villains and mayhem." He gave her a crooked smile that won a begrudging smile in return.

"Just another day in Storybrooke, I suppose," she said, moving into his arms as he pulled her closer. He kissed her lightly once, then again, for a bit longer, leaving his lips to hover just above hers.

"If you'd care to come in for a while, I promise to make you forget the mayhem."

"Now, see..." she said, leaning in to kiss him again. "That's what I like about you. You _ask_."

"I'll bloody well beg if you want me to," he quipped, and her answering smile lit up her face as he pulled her into the room and shut the door behind her.

It was a long time later, and they laid sprawled across the bed, Emma against Killian's chest with a shapely leg thrown over his, and his hand lightly caressing her backside with his other arm folded under his head.

"That just keeps getting better," Emma said, with a sigh and a stretch.

"It does," he agreed, turning his head to kiss her hair.

"And when you do that one thing with your tongue..." she shivered with the memory, and Killian couldn't help the satisfied smile that crept across his face.

"Would you like me to have another go at it? I'm sure the whiskers have only gotten more coarse..."

Emma arched and shuddered again, remembering just how it felt to have those whiskers lightly - ever so lightly - abrading her inner thighs. Her hand shifted from his chest downward to caress him, wringing a stretch and a shudder from him as well. She looked up at him with a catlike smile.

"I think I'm going to assert some free will," she said, shifting until she was astride him. She lowered herself slowly down, nearly purring with satisfaction as his eyes closed tight from the sensation.

He opened them again, the blue of them burning bright and full of promise.

"Did you really turn down a god for me?"

She made a rude noise. "Please. He's got nothing on you."

He looked so absurdly pleased to hear that, she almost laughed.

"Well, you did call out to a deity more than once," he said. "I suppose that puts me about equal."

She shook her head and began to move, slowly and sensuously.

"He's not even in your league," she said, rolling her hips and taking them both to heaven.


	24. Machinations

She ignored the knock at the door. It couldn't be Zeus again - he wouldn't bother knocking. Anyone else was putting themself in danger, and she wasn't about to oblige them by opening the door.

The knock sounded again. "Dora? It's Archie."

"Archie!"

She couldn't help herself - she raced to the door, throwing it open. "You're all right!" she breathed with relief.

"I'm fine. No harm done."

The look she gave him was extremely skeptical. So much so that he put up a hand to forestall her before she could refute it.

"Really, Dora. Neither Henry or I were hurt."

"You have a cut on your forehead," she said accusingly.

He flushed. "That didn't come from you. I tripped over a shoelace and went right into a rock wall."

"A rock wall you wouldn't have hit if I hadn't sent you there in the first place," she pointed out. "Now you really should be going -" She started to shut the door, but Archie's foot was suddenly in the way.

"Dora, listen to me. You may be in danger."

" _I_ may be in danger?" She looked at him as though he were mad. "I _am_ the danger! Don't you see?"

"You're not."

"I am!"

"Dora -"

"You need to leave." She tried again to shut the door, and again, Archie stopped it, but this time with his shoulder.

"And you need to listen to me!" He said, actually raising his voice.

"I can't let you put yourself in jeopardy," she said firmly. "Now if you'll excuse me...?"

"No."

"You have to leave."

"No. Not until you hear me out." Archie looked positively mutinous, and his face was flushing with color to match his hair.

"Goodbye, Archie."

"Dora..."

"Goodb-" she didn't finish the word because she suddenly found Archie's mouth on hers, and before she could recover her senses enough to realize how much she liked the feel of lips, or the gentle way his hand cupped her face, the kiss was over.

"Sorry," he mumbled, still flushed with color. "But Killian once told me that was the fastest way to shut a woman up and get her to listen to you."

Dora eyed him warily, still in a bit of a daze. "I'm listening," she managed to whisper.

He brought his other hand up, holding her face now as his eyes softened with entreaty.

"Zeus may be on his way here," Archie said. "And Belle uncovered some information that says that Zeus may be trying to use you somehow."

"As a weapon," she said, pulling out of his grasp. "Yes, I know. Tell the others not to worry. I won't allow it."

"Emma gets the feeling that what you will or won't allow won't matter much to Zeus," Archie pointed out.

"No, it won't matter." She stared at him a long moment. "Are you really sorry?"

"What?"

"For kissing me. You said you were sorry."

Archie's face flooded with color yet again, and he looked nervously at the floor. "I'm sorry if I was being too forward," he began.

"You weren't, you know. I liked it." She smiled hesitantly, then, as if remembering, the smile faded. "But you should go."

"We want to help you," Archie insisted.

"You can't."

"Dora, please-"

"You can't, Archie." She stepped further away, looking out the window and rubbing her arms as though she had a chill. "No one can help me. And I won't let him use me. There really is only one solution." She turned back to face him and took a breath before going on.

"I have to die," she said softly. "This very day."

###

A strange feeling pricked the back of his neck, and he looked up to see Zeus standing before him.

"The Eagle statue in the window was a subtle touch."

"I pride myself on my...discretion," Gold said, with a slight, gracious nod.

"This had better be worth my while." Zeus's tone was bored.

"It will be. I have a deal to strike."

"You have the box?" Now he was interested.

"I'm not foolish enough to keep it here in the shop, with you around. But I know where it is. And what's more...none of them do."

"You've kept it from them?" Zeus asked. "How did you manage that?"

"Simple, really. I told them you might overhear if we discussed it. After all, you can disguise yourself as anything."

"Clever," Zeus said begrudgingly. "So you give me the box, and in return..?"

"A favor."

Zeus gave him a measured look. "A favor." There was no inflection in his voice.

"One favor. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll consider it," Zeus said, waving a careless hand. "I'm not sure that I need you. The town isn't that large, and Pandora will lead me to it, eventually."

"She's too well-guarded," Gold said. "They're collecting her now and they won't let her out of their -"

The door opened, and in walked one of his least favorite people - accompanied by his girlfriend. Zeus had vanished, but as there were now two eagle statues in the display window, it was clear he was far from gone.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Gold asked, turning his back and busying himself with rearranging the knick-knacks on the shelf behind him.

"We need your help," Emma said. "Belle's found something. In a book."

He started slightly at the mention of her name, then he broke into reluctant smile. "Yes, if anything were to be found, Belle would certainly find it there."

"It's about a prophecy," Emma continued. "And since you're our resident expert, we figured we'd bring it to you." She nodded over her shoulder at Killian, who placed the book down on the counter, opened it, and slid it across. Gold studied it soundlessly.

"Well?" Emma asked impatiently.

"I can't help you." Gold looked up. "As it is not my prophecy. I can only speculate."

"Then speculate." Emma demanded.

"You know what I know," Gold said reasonably. "The prophecy points to a time of chaos - I think we can guess what that references - and the building of an army." He pointed down at the book. "This section here is a bit more troubling: "The walls will not divide."

"And that means?"

"Well...it could mean many things," he said, casting an eye at the statue in the window.

Killian suddenly made an exasperated noise. "This is a bloody waste of time," he said. "He's being deliberately obtuse so as to not to tell us what he really knows."

Gold eyed him with a near-reptilian coldness. "As I stated before," he said, spreading his hands wide. "Not my prophecy."

"Walls." Emma tapped her fingers on the counter. "The walls around the town? Does that mean Zeus can take this chaos into the outside world?"

"Likely," Gold said. "But like any good prophecy, there's an escape clause. _Call upon the lost for the truth to not be so._ In order to restore the balance - and possibly neutralize the curse - we need to-"

"Find something that's lost," Emma finished. "Dora's daughter?"

Gold shook his head. "No. It doesn't say _find_ the lost. It says _return_ the lost."

"Semantics," Killian grumbled.

"I deal in words," Gold reminded him. "And words - particularly in a prophecy that's survived a thousand years - have weight. Whatever or whoever has been lost is not in an unknown place."

"That's...helpful," Emma said sarcastically. She turned back to Killian. "Let's get over to Granny's. Maybe Dora can shed some more light on this." She turned back to Gold. "In the meantime - you've got that box under wraps?"

"It's protected," he said. "Not even Zeus can find it."

"Good. He's slick and I don't think I have to tell you he's powerful."

"He sought you out," Gold said, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. He's a real piece of work."

"And you resisted his...charms? I'm impressed." Gold's eyes flickered to Killian briefly. "It's not as though you had much to compare him to."

Killian took a step forward, with his hand clenching into a fist. Emma turned back to stop him, and a flicker of something near the window caught the corner of her eye. She paused a moment, but didn't see anything.

"He might be a god," Emma said to Gold, "But you can color me unimpressed. And now I want to color him gone. Is there a way to get him out of Storybrooke, and block him from returning?"

"No. He can travel between realms. He'll just come back, and angrier. And an angry Zeus?" Gold shook his head. "You won't want that."

"I can't say that I like him friendly, either," Emma retorted. "What about light magic?"

"Zeus is the most powerful of all the gods, Miss Swan," Gold reminded. "Diplomacy may be a far better option."

"Bugger off," Killian spat. "There is no diplomacy with the likes of him. Not with Emma."

"Valiant as ever," Gold smirked. "But useless in the face of a god who can evaporate you where you stand."

"We don't have time for this!" Emma broke in. "He could be abducting Dora even as we speak. The best way to handle this guy is to be proactive." She grabbed the book off the counter, handing it to Killian. "Let's go."

She pushed past him, opening the door, and Killian, with one last glare at Gold, followed her out. The door shut behind them, and a split-second later Zeus stood before him again.

"She really is something," he said, looking out the window at Emma. "I haven't been this intrigued in centuries." He turned back to Gold. "Her companion is only a minor irritation, but as you pointed out, easily dealt with."

Gold smiled, and it actually reached his eyes. "You know, I like the way you think. I'm going to give you a piece of advice."

Zeus merely raised a brow and waited.

"You won't get any further with the savior - she'll see right through you. And if you hurt someone she cares about - and lamentably, that includes the pirate - you'll have a battle on your hands."

The corner of Zeus's mouth lifted. "That makes it all the more interesting. A seduction is amusing, but a conquest fires the blood."

"In this case, it could burn the blood right out of you," Gold observed. "Miss Swan's magic is no ordinary light magic. She's a savior. And you and I both know that in this realm, that means she can do some damage."

"So you think I need to find another amusement?"

"I'm simply saying that you need to force her to make a choice. For the good of all."

Zeus looked annoyed. "Then perhaps it's time I cultivate the means of swaying the savior."

He spread his arms into wings, and a moment later, an eagle soared into the sky, visible through the window. Gold watched him go, his eyes narrowing. He needed something bigger to deal with. And he knew just who he'd use as leverage.


	25. Weapon

"Dora, you have to listen to me. This isn't the way to solve this," Archie pleaded. "Death is not an answer."

"For me it is," she answered softly. "And for all of you, as well. You'll all be safe, and Zeus can't use me. It's the only way."

"No, it isn't." Archie was firm, grabbing her arms and turning her to face him. "It can't be. I won't _let_ it be." He bit his lip, looking around in frustration. "We just need more time."

"There is no more time. Zeus is here, and he is determined. No one stands against him."

"I will." Archie raised his chin mutinously.

Dora reached up, touching his face gently. "You'll die. I couldn't bear that. Please. Don't make it harder for me."

"What if..." he looked around again, as if an answer might somehow sprout of the flowered pattern on the wallpaper. "What if we found a safe place for you...somewhere that Zeus couldn't get to?"

"There is no such place."

"You don't know that! We have magic in this town, and people who can wield it. Regina and Emma - and even Rumplestiltskin. We could get a protection spell!"

"He would be able to get through it, eventually," Dora said. "He's too powerful."

"According to David, Emma was able to throw him with her magic. Light magic. It's the most powerful thing in the universe, born of true love."

Dora looked at him warily. "Why would she help me?'

"I told you, Dora," Archie said, cupping her face in both his hands. "We all want to help you. And I think I know just where we can take you. It's secluded and away from everyone. You don't have to worry about accidentally hurting anyone."

"I don't know..."

"Let me take you there. We'll get Emma to set a protection spell, and that'll buy us some time. And we'll work this out. I swear to you, Dora. I'll find a way to free you."

She laid her head against his chest. "I'm so afraid. For you."

Archie put his arms around her. "And I'm afraid to be without you."

###

"I don't trust him," Killian said. "Rumplestiltskin." They walked together toward the bug, the scene in the shop replaying in their minds.

"Big surprise," she retorted. "I don't trust him, either. But I'm learning how to play his little word games."

"Meaning?"

Emma opened the car door and leaned a moment on the roof. "Meaning...I asked him point blank if my magic could defeat Zeus, and he didn't say no."

Killian smiled, a slow but devious smile. "No, he didn't. Did he?"

"I'm betting I'm as powerful as he is. Otherwise Zeus would have just taken what he wanted. He's not a guy who's big on patience."

"He enjoys the game," Killian said. "He's biding his time for the opportune moment. I know that type of vermin, but on a human scale. That personality in a god doesn't bode well."

"He doesn't scare me," Emma scoffed. Killian walked around the car, pulling her into his arms.

"I didn't think that he did," Killian said. "You're a bloody lioness. But I swear if he touches you again, I'll find a way to end him."

"Down sailor," she smiled up at him. "I get the first swing. And you can't kill an immortal anyway."

"I could slice him apart with a cutlass and drop all over the sea," Killian suggested.

"I don't think it works that way," Emma said. "You'd probably only bend your cutlass."

He looked chagrined. "He's not worth a good cutlass."

"He's not worth your time and trouble, either," Emma said. "I've got this one. I promise, you can have the next villain that comes along."

He looked over his shoulder. "That could be any minute, in this town."

"Tell me about it," she smirked. "Now let's get some burgers before we head over to the library." She smacked his butt, giving him a push, and he grinned as he opened his door.

"Could we get the orange stuff?" He asked. "Cheese wooze?"

"Cheese _Whiz_ ," she corrected. "And don't eat too much of that on your fries. It's bad for your heart."

He slid into the seat next to her, closing the door and giving her a wink.

"My heart is in good hands, love."

Emma smiled, and put the car in gear.

###

Regina curled herself against Robin's back, nuzzling into his neck as he chuckled.

"Something funny?" she asked, running her fingers up and down his arm.

He rolled abruptly, flipping her over and moving in behind her. "You." He slid an arm around her, pulling her tighter in.

"I thought we agreed that I was going to be the big spoon," he said, rubbing his nose along her ear. She shivered in reaction.

"You were asleep. I wanted to hold you but I didn't want to wake you."

"Thought you were a queen who takes what she wants."

She looked over her shoulder. "I'm not a queen. Not here. Not anymore."

"So you don't want a round of "Common Thief meets Power Hungry Mayor?"

He gave her backside a squeeze and she rolled to face him, giving him a push on his chest. "You are incorrigible."

She lifted her face for his kiss, and he obliged, taking his time with her, his hands moving across her body with practiced ease as he stroked and pressed and learned every inch of her again.

He lifted her leg over his hip, and in one smooth movement, he rolled her beneath him.

"So you want me taking over this time?" he asked, pushing himself against her, teasing her as she arched to receive him. Her eyes were brilliant, shining with an excitement she only found with him. Regina wasn't a woman who ceded control easily.

"Yes," she breathed.

"My lady...I am at your service." Robin's eyes darkened as pushed her legs more widely apart, almost roughly, and Regina's breath left her in a rush, returning in small gasps as he readied her.

And then came the knock at the door.

They froze, then Regina murmured quietly, "Ignore it..."

Robin shook his head as the knock sounded again. "It could be important."

He rolled off her, reaching for his clothing, and she did the same with a sigh.

"Just a minute," she called from the top of the stairs, as Robin reached behind her to fasten the back of her blouse. She smoothed her hair and after a look from Robin that promised they weren't done, she headed down the stairs and opened the door.

"Belle." She looked at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"We've got a problem," Bella said. "May I come in?"

Regina looked over her shoulder to make sure Robin was presentable, then she stepped back, opening the door wider. "Of course."

Belle stepped inside, starting a bit as she saw Robin - who was still buttoning his shirt. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize you had company."

"You could have called first," Regina said, more than a little put out still.

"This couldn't wait. I saw Zeus. He was with Rumplestiltskin."

"What?" Robin stepped forward in alarm. "What were they doing?"

"I can't be sure - I was watching through the window. It looked like they were making some sort of deal, and then Emma interrupted them."

"What kind of a deal would Rumple be making with Zeus?" Regina pondered.

"You didn't get any closer? Overhear anything?" Robin asked.

"That would have tipped him off," Regina said. "Since Belle used the dagger to command him to keep his distance, if she'd walked into the shop he would have reappeared somewhere else."

"Can you use the dagger to command him to tell you what they said?" Robin suggested.

Belle nodded. "I could, but there may not be time. I'm afraid he told Zeus where the box is. We need to get to Pandora - she should be able to find it. Once you have it, I can move it to a new location in the shop - it's a protected safe with an enchantment over it. Rumplestiltskin won't be able to get to it if you enact the enchantment."

Regina nodded slowly. "That's a good plan."

"It is," Robin agreed.

"I'm sure it's exactly what Zeus would like us to do," Regina said, crossing her arms. "Isn't that right?" She stared at Belle pointedly, raising one dark brow. Belle looked back, and a moment later she shimmered, and Zeus stood in her place.

"What tipped you off?" he asked blandly.

"She usually calls Rumplestiltskin 'Rumple'. You also called Dora by her full name. And Belle is one of the most polite people I know. She would have called first." Regina gave him a look of extreme displeasure.

"I didn't realize I'd be interrupting," Zeus said smoothly. "I'd be happy to take over if you'd like some real excitement."

Robin started forward, already drawing his arm back into a fist, but Regina stepped between them. "Don't bother," she said. "He's not worth dirtying your fist over. And he's definitely not enticing."

Zeus leaned negligently against the wall. "I need that box. Rumplestiltskin knows where it is, and he's willing to bargain with me in order to get what he wants."

"Oh, so you weren't lying about that?"

"No."

"And what is it that he wants?" Robin asked.

Zeus shrugged. "A favor."

Regina's brows both went up and she sucked in a quiet breath. Robin looked confused. "Is that bad?"

She turned to look at him. "An open-ended favor? From the king of the Gods?"

"I see what you mean," Robin said distastefully. "But why tell us?"

"Because he enjoys the discord," Regina said. "He wants to play us against each other."

"Anyone who claims Rumplestiltskin as an ally is a fool," Zeus pointed out. "But I will end up with the box. You know that. One way or the other, it will reveal itself. It'll be faster if we do it my way, and then I can leave. And Rumplestiltskin won't get what he wants. Whatever that is."

"Or you could just leave now," Regina suggested with a wide, false smile. "You certainly seem to be losing your edge with the women of Storybrooke."

Zeus gave her a dark look. "I have other strategies in play," he growled. "And you are well-advised to stay out of my way."

And with that, he was gone - not even a puff of smoke or a shimmer this time, and his ominous warning hung in the air.

"So..." Regina said, turning slowly. "Back to bed?"

Robin was on her in two strides, wrapping his fist in her hair and pulling her head back. "No. Here. On the floor."

Regina's eyes widened, and a moan tore from her throat as he pulled her down, but a moment later she stilled his hand as it tugged at her blouse.

"Wait."

He pushed her hand away. "I'm in charge this time, remember?"

She sat up. "I just realized something. I told him that Belle commands the dagger."

Realization dawned behind Robin's eyes. "The prophecy," he said. "It takes more than one weapon to build an army."

"Belle is in danger," Regina said. "And Zeus is going to have another weapon."


	26. Protected

The door squeaked loudly as Archie swung it open, and Dora jumped a little at the sound.

"It's okay," he said, raising a hand to calm her. "We just need to oil the hinges, that's all."

He reached back for her hand, and she took it hesitantly.

"No one lives here?"

"No." Archie looked around the cabin. "It could use a little freshening up," he said. "But the structure is sound. And there's no one around for more than a mile."

"It's lovely," she said. "Really, Archie. I just don't think..." She paused a moment to look around. "He'll still find me."

Archie squeezed her hand. "Well, he won't find you alone."

"Archie..." she began hesitantly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything. You know that."

"What do you see in me?"

He looked genuinely surprised. "You mean, 'Why do I like you?'"

She nodded, and he took her other hand, holding them both so that he could face her full-on. "You're beautiful, Dora. Anyone can see that."

"Yes, Aphrodite was generous," she agreed. "I've always had a face that turned men's heads, but once they see the darkness, they're on their way."

"I don't see darkness," Archie said. "I still see beauty. You care about people, genuinely. You want the best for everyone, even if it means sacrificing yourself. And in spite of the burden you carry, you still keep going. That kind of resilience is beautiful. _You_ are beautiful."

"But you can't care about me," she said, softly but firmly. "You'll only get hurt. Either by me or because of me."

"If there's one thing I've learned in my years as both a therapist and a conscience, it's that getting hurt is a part of life. It's unavoidable. Nobody gets through life unscathed, Dora." He pulled her in closer. "Though I will say that you've been hurt more than most. You've got a lot on your shoulders."

"That's not likely to change," she sighed.

Archie reached up, lifting her chin with his fingers. "Then I'll just have to help you carry it all."

He started to lean in, and Dora's eyes closed as she stretched up on tiptoe - only to have the door swing open. They hastily backed away from each other.

"Did somebody call for the cavalry?" Emma asked, stepping inside and then stopping short as she realized she interrupted something. "Uh...sorry. Guess I should have knocked." Killian stepped in from behind her, and his eyes met hers as he tried to cover his grin.

"It's all right," Archie stammered. "I was just showing Dora around."

"There's not much to show," Killian said, glancing at the walls.

"Which is good," Emma replied. "It's only my second try at a protection spell." She shook her hands, flexing them.

"I don't know that you can stop Zeus," Dora said. "There aren't many barriers that can keep him out, beyond that which is sacred."

"You mean, like a temple or something?" Emma's brow furled. "Maybe I just need to declare myself a god."

"I consider you a goddess," Killian said, prompting a smirk in return.

Dora smiled. "Zeus would have to recognize you as sacred," she said. "He wouldn't cross into another's temple or sacred site, nor could he harm anyone encircled by it." She looked around the cabin. "Alas, this would hardly suffice."

"So I guess it's up to me," Emma said, flexing her fingers again.

"Not yet!" Snow pushed her way through the doorway, along with David who was carrying two large bags of groceries.

"If you're going to be sealed in here, you need some provisions," David said. "We'll just make sure Emma comes alone to put the spell back up when we restock you."

"And I brought a friend who wanted to see you," Snow said, giving Neal a little jiggle in her arms. Dora's face lit up in the first genuine moment of joy Archie had seen since her arrival.

"Hello little one!" she beamed, reaching out to stroke his head.

"Would you like to hold him?" Snow asked. Dora looked up at Archie hesitantly, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Go ahead, Dora," he said.

"You've already taken such good care of him," Snow reminded her. "I know he's safe in your hands." She held the baby out, and Dora took him carefully, holding him close as she rocked and cooed to him.

"You've grown, little one," she said softly, delighting in the little sounds he made. She touched his cheek, smoothing it with her fingertips. "Such a beautiful baby," she said, looking up at Snow and David. "You must be so proud."

"Definitely," David said with a wide smile.

"Dora? What was Hope like?" Snow asked. "Tell us about her."

David locked eyes with his wife, unsure if he wanted to bring up such an upsetting subject with Dora. Snow gave him a slight, reassuring nod.

Dora's face grew soft as she looked down at Neal.

"Hope was beautiful. I know it's very easy to say that as I am her mother, but really, she just had such a way about her. She would smile and you couldn't help but smile back. Her eyes were always so wide open, as if she couldn't get enough of the world around her." Dora stroked Neal's head again. "She had hair like sunlight - like the way it looks on the water." She looked up. "I know that sounds odd, but -"

"No," said Killian quietly. "I know that color. When the sun hits the water at first light, the brilliance of it. It's breathtaking."

Dora smiled at him, her eyes welling up. "Yes. That was it, exactly. Breathtaking. She was just so full of life, and of promise."

Snow moved closer, reaching out to touch Dora's shoulder. "She sounds amazing."

"She was," Dora said.

"I wish I could have known her," Archie said, putting his arm around her.

"Thank you," Dora said, handing Neal back to his mother. "Your son is a joy, truly."

"He likes you, too," David said. "And good babysitters are hard to find."

"Yes, you'll have to watch him for us sometime," Snow said emphatically. "We need to plan a date night soon."

Dora looked oddly touched. "Really? It would be no trouble at all. He's an easy child."

"Tell his mother that at two a.m.," David cracked. "Now...let's get the groceries in the fridge and get that spell up."

"I can put the groceries away," Archie volunteered. "I'm going to be staying with her."

He hadn't let go of Dora, and Snow turned very knowing eyes to her husband. "All right, then," she said. "We'll just be going."

Emma looked over at Killian. "We need to step outside."

"After you," he said, extending a hand. Emma stepped through, and with cordial nod to Archie and Dora, he followed Emma out. He stood at her side as she concentrated, pushing her palms up and out until the the light blazed from them, rippling and engulfing the cabin.

She stepped back, panting.

"Is it done?" Killian asked.

"I gave it everything I had," she said. "I hope it's enough to hold him."

"At the very least, it should slow him down," Killian said. "Archie knows to call if there are any unwanted visitors."

Emma turned to her mother. "Good call, bringing the baby. I don't think I've ever seen her that happy."

"How did you know to ask her about Hope?" David asked. "I didn't want to remind her that her child is gone."

"I knew a mother once who lost her son in an ogre attack," Snow said solemnly. "She told me once that she wished more people would ask her about him. She said they didn't have to worry about reminding her - she knew her son was dead. She knew it every day. But it meant so much to her when someone reminded her that he'd _lived_."

"Nothing outweighs the pain of losing a child," Emma said. "I can speak to that firsthand."

"I'm glad we made her smile," Snow said, tickling Neal under the chin. "And of course, she loves you, sweetie. Yes she does! Yes, she does!" She made silly, cooing noises to Neal as she and David headed for the truck.

"They're getting lunch at Granny's," Emma said. "Do you want to join them?"

"You go on ahead," Killian said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I need some guidance."

"With what?"

"A hunch," he said, leaning down to kiss her. "I'll meet up with you for dinner, love."

"My place," she said. "And don't be late. It's taco night and Henry doesn't like to be kept waiting."

###

Belle looked up as Henry opened the door, holding up a finger to instruct him to wait as she finished her phone conversation.

"Yes...yes, but I -" she looked across at him and smiled, covering the phone to say "It's your mother," before listening again, intently. "No, it's Henry," she said into the phone. "You do?" She listened some more before she covered the phone again.

"Henry, Emma wants you home. Your cat is missing, and she needs your help to find it."

"Tell her I'll be there soon," he said. "I just need to talk to you. I'm sure the cat's around somewhere."

Belle smiled and returned to her conversation. "Yes, he is. And I'll be sure to do that. Goodbye." Belle replaced the phone on it's cradle and turned to Henry.

"What was it you needed, Henry?"

"Well -"

Henry didn't get to finish, as the door opened and Killian walked in.

"Hello Henry," he said with a smile. "You're missing lunch with your grandparents," he said. "They're at Granny's."

"Henry's mother just called me," Belle said, holding Killian's eyes. "She says that Henry's cat has gone missing. She wants him to go home and help her look for it."

"What?" Killian looked confused.

"And I was talking to Regina," Henry said. "She thinks that Zeus might go after the dagger, and we should probably hide it with her. She can put a cloaking spell on it, and keep him from finding it. She sent me here to get it."

"I've got it pretty well hidden," Belle said, reaching for the books on the counter. "Henry, can you push that cart over, please? I need to get these all back on the shelves."

"Your mother knows how much you love that cat," Killian said, moving to get between Henry and Belle. "Regina can wait."

"Why would Regina want you handling the dagger," Belle asked, looking uneasy. "I should think she'd want to keep something as dark as that far away from you."

"It's because I'm a child," Henry shrugged. "The dagger can't corrupt me. And Zeus would never suspect that you'd give it to me."

"Well," Killian said, raising a brow. "He's not much on intelligence, I'll grant you that. Pretty face, but a decided lack of wit."

Belle's eyes flared briefly and she looked at Killian as though he were mad.

Henry's eyes narrowed. "This is the king of the gods we're talking about."

Killian smirked. "Well, it's not as though they voted him into office, is it? And he hasn't done much to impress around here."

Henry drew in a breath, then smiled and shrugged again. "Yeah, well...Regina says to give me the dagger and she'll put it someplace safe."

Killian reached down, picking up one of the heavy tomes on the cart. "You know, these books you've found were most instructive," he said over his shoulder to Belle. "I particularly like the illustrations. Do you think they're true to life? Because Zeus looks a bit...jowly to me."

Belle's lips twitched and she deliberately turned away to put a book on the shelf. "I'm sure that I don't know," she said in a strangled voice. "But you know how myths and legends are. They tend to exaggerate."

"Did you hear that, Henry?" Killian said, gesturing. "Perhaps he's not the king of the gods after all. Maybe he was a lowly steward or something but he was the one with the quill so he exaggerated his importance."

"Are you done?" Henry snapped. "Because I promised Regina I'd come right back with the dagger."

"Oh, I don't have it with me," Belle said. "You don't think I'd just carry it around, do you?"

"Of course not," Henry smiled. "I can run and get it. Just tell me where."

"Weren't you using it as a cheese knife?" Killian asked. "I remember seeing it at that wine tasting event you had here at the library last month."

Belle tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know...I'm not sure."

"Perhaps it's still in the dishwasher," Killian suggested helpfully.

"I suppose I could check," she answered. "But I can't imagine I did - I wouldn't want it to rust, you see..."

"Enough!" Henry shouted. Then he realized he'd snapped and took a calming breath. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but Regina -"

"Is right here," Regina said, strolling through the door, with Robin behind her, holding his bow with an arrow at the ready. "And if you knew Henry at all, you'd know he never calls me Regina."

Henry's eyes narrowed, and a heartbeat later, Zeus stood in his place.

"What does he call you?" he asked angrily.

Regina's smile was smug. "Mom. And you really should learn about the magic of cellphones. I told you, polite people call ahead."

Zeus turned toward Belle, but Killian stepped in, giving Regina time to counter and put Belle behind her and Robin.

"You." There was a wealth of contempt in Zeus's voice. "You were taunting me."

"Taunting?" Killian said with a shrug. "I was merely making astute observations. No need to get prickly about it."

Zeus' face darkened, and the air around him seemed to crackle. "I hope you've enjoyed your time with Emma."

"Oh, I have." Killian smiled.

"Good," Zeus returned his smile coldly. "Because it's over now."

And with a flick of his wrist, Killian's heart stopped, and he crumpled slowly to the ground as Zeus disappeared.


	27. Returned

"Killian!" Robin's voice was the first to break the silence as they all rushed over. Regina laid her head on Killian's chest, listening intently.

"Call Emma!" She shouted to Belle. "Get her over here! NOW!"

"Is he -" Belle's eyes were wide and fearful.

Regina nodded. "Zeus stopped his heart."

She drew back her hand, then plunged it into Killian's chest. Then she passed her hand down his body, leaving a trail of golden light.

"If he's gone, perhaps it would be kinder -" Robin started.

"We need Emma! Trust me - get her over here, _fast_." Regina snapped the order as Belle dialed the phone. "I've put a preservation spell on his body - that'll preserve him until she can take over."

"I don't understand," Robin said. "If he's dead, even magic can't reverse death."

"The human brain takes several minutes to die once the heart has stopped," Regina explained. "I can lengthen that a bit, but the rest of it...I'm counting on an archaic bit of magic to help me out."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then she'll want to say goodbye."

Belle came back around the counter, holding the phone. "She's down at Granny's - she should be here any second."

She'd barely finished the sentence when the door flew open, and a panting, panicked Emma burst in. Her eyes fell to Killian, and she dove for him running her hands over his chest, tapping his face.

"Killian! Killian!" She turned to look at Regina. "Is...he...?" She couldn't even finish, the pain in her chest like a gaping, throbbing vortex, sucking her down.

"Emma. Emma, listen to me," Regina said calmly, taking her by the shoulders. "Zeus stopped his heart but there may be a way to reverse this."

"A defibrilator! Call the EMT squad and I'll start CPR-" Emma started barking orders as Belle reached for the phone.

Regina took Emma's hand, placing Killian's heart into it.

"There's no time for that," Regina said. "Take the heart - call him back."

"What?" Emma's panicked eyes locked on Regina. "This is his heart?"

"Yes, and it's intact, which means Zeus did nothing more than stop it. By the laws of magic, anyone who has previously held his beating heart can call him back, but the power to do so weakens with every moment we waste."

"Call him...back?"

"Emma! I need you to focus!" Regina shook her lightly. "Use your magic. Send it into the heart, and Call. Him. Back."

Emma nodded, pulling herself together. She looked once more at his beloved face, felt the weight of his heart, so still in her hand. She pulled the heart up, holding it just before her face, feeling the power gathering within her, greedy and growing as always, flowing out and down her arms, arcing from her palms and into the heart.

"Come back to me, Killian. Don't leave me." She whispered to the heart, and it suddenly jumped in her hand, flickering and glowing a deep, ruby red, pulsing with life. Killian gasped aloud, his startled eyes opening and locking on her.

"Emma -" his voice was shaky, but the color was flooding back to his face. His eyes went to the heart in Emma's hand. "May I have that back?" he quipped. "Or were you planning on turning it into a decorative centerpiece?"

Emma rammed the heart back in his chest and sagged back, pulling her knees up and rubbing her head into them. "You just took ten years off my life," she groaned.

"I'd say the same, but from the looks of all of you, it's only been minutes. What have I missed?" He sat up, reaching out to gather Emma in, holding her tightly.

"Zeus decided you were expendable," Regina said dryly.

"You were taunting him inexcusably," Belle reminded. "It wasn't terribly prudent of you."

"He had it coming," Killian growled.

"You can't go up against him and win," Regina chided. "He's too powerful. But now we know he's going to keep going after Belle. He wants the dagger _and_ the box."

"Well who in the bloody hell told him Belle had the dagger?" Killian asked irritably.

Regina gave him a look as Robin filled him in. "Regina accidentally let it slip. He'd disguised himself as Belle to pay us a visit."

"We're going to have to keep a guard on her, around the clock," Regina said. She looked over at Belle. "I hate to say it, but there's one person who's got powerful enough magic to protect you, but he'll be damn sure to keep that dagger out of Zeus's hands."

"And once Rumplestiltskin knows she's safe," Killian said. "He makes a deal with Zeus and the rest of the world goes to hell."

Belle's face contorted a moment, then she took a deep breath. "Killian is right. Rumple won't think beyond himself. He'll make a deal." She looked at Killian questioningly. "What did you come here for, anyway?"

Killian pushed himself up to his feet, offering Emma a hand. She took it, and then didn't let it go, keeping an arm wrapped around him.

"I was looking for information. Dora said something that might be of use to us." He pointed over at the pile of books on the table. "Is there anything in your old mythology books about Zeus and the temples of other gods? Dora said certain things were sacred to him, and that he respected that."

Belle nodded. "Yes, I do remember reading that. If there were another god or goddess with a temple nearby, he would respect its sovereignty. There are stories of women fleeing from his attentions by taking shelter in the temple of another god." She reached for a heavy tome nearby, opening it and leafing through a few pages before finding a passage.

"Yes," she said, pointing a finger down onto the paper. "Here it is. A list of sacred sites and artifacts. Zeus was bound to respect them, if he held them sacred."

Killian stepped over, perusing the list. "Would it be _only_ these sights? Or the temple of any god -a more recent god?"

"The church," Robin said, his eyes lighting with the realization. "If we put Belle in the church, along with the dagger..."

"Yes." Belle nodded. "It's a sacred site. Zeus would have to respect the boundaries. He couldn't touch me there."

"I'll take you home to pack a bag," Regina said. "We don't have any time to waste."

She'd just turned when her phone went off. "It's Henry," she said, opening it up. "Henry - is everything okay?" She listened for a moment, her eyes going over to Belle. "She's fine. Everyone's fine. Put him on the phone."

She covered the phone, speaking softly to Belle. "It's Gold. He wanted to make sure you were all right."

"She's fine," Regina said into the phone as Belle's eyes remained locked with hers. "But we're relocating her. Zeus knows she has the dagger. Nevermind how he found out, he just did," she snapped. "But he can't cross the boundary into another god's temple. The church is the safest place for her, and Blue can hold her own against Zeus if he tries anything tricky."

Regina finished the conversation, then put her phone away. "You ready to go?" she asked Belle.

"I'll just get my coat." She looked at Killian. "Do you want me to put the book back for you?"

"No," he said, staring down at it as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "No, I'd like to study it a bit longer, if you don't mind. I'll lock up when I'm done."

"That's fine," Belle reassured him. "I'm glad you're all right."

He gave her a smile and she grabbed her coat, stepping out the door with Regina and Robin, who had an arrow nocked in his bow, clearly keeping watch. The door closed behind them and Killian turned, pulling Emma into an embrace.

"Thank you," he murmured. "That's twice now you've held my heart and returned it to me."

"You can be glad it's happened before," Emma said. "That's how I was able to bring you back."

"I heard you call me," he said. "I was...well, I don't know where I was. It was nothingness. Save for your voice. I only knew I had to find you, so I...moved toward it."

"Don't do that to me ever again," she scolded, though it was muffled against his chest. "I can't do that again. I can't."

"Sure you can, love," he joked. "You're becoming quite the expert at returning hearts."

"I don't mean that and you know it," she said, lifting her face to look at him. "Don't make me see you dead. Ever."

"I was only _mostly_ dead," he said, trying to cheer her up. It didn't work. 

She held him tighter. "I can't do that again. I can't lose you."

"And I can't bear for a moment the thought of losing you," he said softly. He reached down, lifting her chin. "So where does that leave us?"

"Stuck with each other?" She attempted a smile, but the heaviness of the last few minutes was still weighing upon them both.

"There's no place I'd rather be, Swan," he said, kissing her lightly - at least, until her arms twined around his neck and pulled him in, deepening the kiss.

###

"Are you hungry?" Archie asked as he loaded the contents of the bags into the refrigerator. "It looks like we've got lunchmeat and I saw a loaf of bread in one of those bags over there," he indicated the other bags on the table. "I can make a decent bologna sandwich."

"I don't know what that is," Dora replied. "But I'm sure it will be fine."

"I don't get a lot of cooking practice, unfortunately," Archie explained. "It's usually soup and sandwiches for me. I've been a bachelor too long."

"I don't understand how it is that you haven't found a wife yet," Dora said, walking slowly around the cabin.

"I took care of my parents for a long time," he replied, his mouth turning down at the memory. "And then I was a cricket for a while...that's another story. Then we came here and, well...there just hasn't been anyone. Until recently." He reddened slightly but Dora smiled back.

"There's been no opportunity for me, either," she answered. "Until recently."

She turned away, resuming her tour, and as she approached the doorway to the bedroom area, her step faltered.

"Archie...?" her voice began uncertainly. She staggered, leaning hard on the doorframe.

"Dora!" He rushed over, grabbing her from behind and supporting her. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, stunned and said simply:

"It's here. The box is here."

###

"You ready to go?" Emma asked. "I only got halfway through my dinner, and I'm sure my parents would like to know everything's okay. I ran out of there like a bat out of hell."

"A bat out of hell?"

"It's a saying. And a song. A really good, old song. By Meat Loaf."

"Musical food?" He looked confused.

"No, his name is Meat Loaf. The musician."

Killian still looked confused, then he shook his head as if to clear it and returned his gaze to the book he'd been glancing at again.

"Yes..." he murmured. "Yes - that's perfect. I'd love to talk to Granny."

"Granny?"

"I'll explain when we get there. And d'you mind if we stop somewhere afterward?" he asked. "I need to pay someone a visit."

"Who?"

"Marco." At her questioning look, he closed the book with a smile. "Trust me, Swan. I think I'm onto something."


	28. Set Up

"It's Gold," David said, looking down at his phone. "Should I take it?"

Emma gave him a short nod. "Better to know what he's planning - good or bad."

David answered the call, holding the phone to his ear. "When?' he asked.

He glanced across at Snow and Emma, nodding as he listened. "Okay. We'll be there in five."

"Do you really think he's got anything we need to hear?" Snow asked skeptically as David put the phone away.

"I'm willing to bet he'll be a lot more receptive once we let him know that Zeus is looking to enslave him and willing to go through Belle to do it," David pointed out. "I'll take a drive over."

"I'm going with you," Emma said. "Just let me tell Killian where we're going."

"What did he need Granny for, anyway?" Snow asked.

"He hasn't told me yet," Emma said over her shoulder. "Maybe he wants her meatball recipe?"

"He's probably getting her to double her order of rum," David called back as she stepped through the doors to the kitchen.

"I need to feed the baby, and then once I get him down, I'll check in with you," Snow said. She put a hand on David's arm. "Be careful."

"I'll hear what he has to say," David said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. He looked up at Emma, who had just walked back out into the dining area.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," she said, jamming a thumb over her shoulder towards the doors. "He's back there in the storeroom discussing oil viscosity with Granny."

"What?"

"Don't ask," Emma rolled her eyes. "After that he needs to pow-wow with Marco. I'll catch up with him there."

They walked the few blocks down to Gold's shop, keeping a watchful eye on the skies. They let themselves in, and David got right down to business.

"So what's the burning issue?" he asked.

"Wait!" Emma held up a hand. "We need to make sure he is who he says he is."

"I see you've caught on to our mutual friend's favorite game," Gold said.

"Yeah," Emma said flatly. "Now tell me something only Gold would know that I know."

Gold eyed her shrewdly. "Very well. My son had a birthmark. It was on his lower back, on the left side."

"That's right," Emma said. "And here's one for you. Neal told me how he got to our world. Someone helped him. Who?"

"That would be our old friend, the Blue Fairy," Gold replied. "Who, coincidentally, has her hands in a lot more pots than any of you realize."

"Okay, so you're you," Emma conceded. "What do you want?"

"I've been catching up on my reading," he said, pulling over a large, dusty book. "Specifically, the prophecy."

"You found something new?" David asked.

"No. The prophecy is thousands of years old - there's nothing _new_ about it. But the answers we seek are there, if one takes the time to interpret."

"And what does your interpretation tell you?" Emma asked, raising a brow.

"The prophecy tells us very specifically to return that which was lost," he said, "And I plan to do exactly that."

David shot Emma a look. "And by 'that', you mean...?"

"As the king of the gods, Zeus has the ability to return heroes from the Elysian Fields."

"The Elysian Fields?" David's eyes went wide. "You mean bring back the dead?"

"Zeus can bring back the dead?" Emma said, askance, as if she hadn't just done that very thing earlier in the day.

"Not all the dead, Miss Swan," Gold replied. "Those who serve out the afterlife in the jurisdiction of Hades cannot be liberated. Only those who have died a hero's death may be retrieved - and then only by a god as powerful as Zeus."

"And you think that getting Zeus to free someone from the Elysian Fields will break the curse on the box?" David sounded skeptical.

"I do, and what's more - I doubt our over-confident friend has thought that far ahead."

"Probably because he's too distracted by the thought of controlling you," Emma pointed out. "He knows Belle has the dagger, and he's determined to get to her. She can't live in the church forever."

"Which is precisely why we need to play the only cards we have in the game," Gold pointed out. "Pandora, and the box."

"We're not turning Dora over to Zeus." David's tone brooked no argument.

"She'll be a moot point if the box is disabled," Gold said.

"That's a big 'if'." Emma said, clearly not thrilled with the plan.

"And just who were you planning on bringing back?" David asked.

"It has to be someone who recently left us. One whose place is assured in the Elysian Fields through heroism."

Emma went very still, and her eyes widened just a fraction.

"Neal," she whispered. "You're going to ask him for Neal."

###

"It's here? Dora - are you sure?" Archie held her firmly, supporting her since her legs were shaking.

"I can feel it," she said, turning wide and frightened eyes toward him. Inside the bedroom, the lamp on the table began to rock and the drawers of a nearby bureau began to rattle.

"Archie! Get out! Get out of here!" she shrieked, just as the light bulb exploded in the lamp and a nearby teakettle began to boil without the benefit of a flame beneath it.

"I can't! Emma's sealed us in," he shouted, making his voice heard as the whole cabin seemed to be rattling and shaking around them.

"It's...drawing from me!" she said. "I can feel it - it's too powerful!" She turned in Archie's arms, shoving at him violently. "You need to get away! Find cover!"

"No!"

"Archie, please! I couldn't bear it if I hurt you!" She pushed at him again.

"You won't hurt me," he said, shaking his head emphatically.

"You don't know that!"

"I do know that," he insisted. "I do know it."

"I can't -" Dora's words were stopped as Archie's mouth came down on hers, and as his arms slid around her and she lost herself in the kiss, the sounds around them began to quiet. The doors stopped slamming, the drawers ceased their rattling, and nothing seemed to be flickering anymore. There was still a strange hum of power, like lightning had charged the air but spent itself, but the rest was calm.

Archie lifted his head, his face flushed with color.

"See?" he said softly. "You won't hurt me."

"Why..?" Dora seemed to have a hard time finding her voice. "Why does everything quiet when you kiss me?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, giving her a lopsided smile. "But I'm willing to keep experimenting if you are."

She laughed, bringing her hand up to her mouth as though startled.

"I haven't laughed in...I don't remember how long."

He looped his arms loosely behind her back. "You can laugh at me anytime. And look-" he glanced around. "Calm and quiet. We can work with this, Dora. We can help you. You can help yourself."

"You're very good at what you do, you know," she said. "You have a way about you of getting to the truth of people. Seeing who they really are."

"I see you," he answered.

"And what is it you see in me?" she asked. "I still haven't reasoned that out. I couldn't be further from an ideal companion."

He cupped her face, looking right in her eyes. "I think I'm in love with you, Dora. That's what I see. That's all I can see."

Her eyes were wide, frightened. "You shouldn't love me."

"It's too late for that," he said gently. "And I wouldn't change it if I could. I've felt more alive since you got here than I have in my entire life."

"But what if I hurt you?"

He lifted a shoulder. "Maybe I should just keep kissing you?" he suggested.

Dora laughed again, turning her face up so he could do exactly that.

###

"The workmanship is remarkable," Killian said, turning the cuff over in his hand. "And you say you have another?"

"They're a matching set," Marco replied, fussing around the shop. "And I have other things, too. Many things."

"Give me everything you've got," Killian said. "I'll need it all."

The workshop door was flung open as Leroy and the dwarves stomped in. "Granny says we're good to go. And Blue and the other fairies can replicate whatever else we need, as long as we have the original batch to start with.

"You all know what to do?"

Leroy gave him a disgruntled eyeroll. "It ain't rocket science."

"We need to work quickly," Killian reminded them. "We don't know how long-" he swayed on his feet as the ground shuddered beneath him.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

Leroy reached out for a nearby rocking chair, cursing as it offered no stability when he grabbed it. "I don't know," he shouted. "But in this town, it's probably not good."

"Is it the mines?" Marco asked, desperately trying to keep a tall but delicate clock from tipping over.

"That ain't the mines," Leroy said.

"We have to move fast," Killian repeated. "Go!"

###

"What was that?" Emma reached for the edge of the display case as the ground seemed to lurch and then tremble beneath them.

"I'd wager on one of two things, Miss Swan."

"Zeus or Dora," David said grimly.

"My money is on the latter," Gold replied. "Which means the former won't be far behind. Let me guess - you moved her to the cabin."

"Yeah," Emma replied. "And it's got the mother of all protection spells around it."

"Which means precisely nothing to the king of the gods," Gold added. "And your protection spell won't last long now that you've unwittingly put the box in her reach."

"The box is in the cabin?" David was startled.

"And you've sealed her in with it," Gold noted. "Were you courting mass destruction, Miss Swan? Because that's how it's done." He gestured to the window, just as an eagle flew by, streaking toward the woods. "And now you've tipped him off."

Emma took off running for the door as the ground continued to shake, and David was right behind her. Gold gave a self-congratulatory smirk, and with a wave of his hand, he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

He reappeared just outside the cabin, where a clearly irritated Zeus stood with his hand outstretched, lightly touching the magical barrier before him.

Gold smiled. "Would you like a little help with that?" he asked.


	29. Released

"I don't need your help." Zeus gave Gold a scathing look over his shoulder. "It's only a protection spell."

"Sealed with blood magic, by a savior, no less," Gold replied with a smile.

"And how do you propose to get past that?" Zeus asked, folding his arms.

"Miss Swan and I share a common relative - a relative whose blood I happen to have a drop of, put away for a rainy day." He looked up at the cloudless sky. "Or a sunny one. I have no personal preference."

"You happen to have it?" Zeus raised an eyebrow.

"Miss Swan is exceptionally powerful," Gold explained. "And she's growing into those powers more by the day. I've kept it as a sort of...insurance policy."

The ground shook again, and Zeus smiled slightly. "I may not need you at all. If Pandora touches the box, the forces may well tear the spell apart."

"Then by all means, wait it out," Gold said. "But even I can tell that she's getting it under control. And that's what you fear most, isn't it? If she controls it, she's of no use to you."

Zeus's jaw tightened with anger and his eyes flashed back to the cabin. "And in return? Surely you want to make a deal."

"I do, and it speaks again to the matter of that common relative, and how he came to be," Gold said. "You see, Miss Sw-"

He finished the remainder of the word in the center of the church. He blinked, and a moment later his eyes focused on Belle, who was standing a few feet away, holding his dagger.

"Hello Rumple," she said quietly.

"Belle!" He started forward, but she raised the dagger.

"That's far enough," she said firmly, and his feet stopped as though encased in lead.

"You called me to you," he said, unable to stop his smile.

"Because you were with Zeus," she said, and at the look on his face, she frowned. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, but -"

"Emma called me. She told me your plan. But it won't work, Rumple."

"It could, Belle. The prophecy calls for the return-"

"The return of the lost," Belle finished for him. "Yes, I know. But bringing Neal back won't end the curse."

"Belle..."

"It won't work, Rumple." She gripped the edge of a pew as a tremor shook the ground, slighter now, but still noticeable. "They're getting weaker," she said. "Archie's belief in Dora helps her control it."

"The cricket?"

"He's a man, Rumple, and a good one. He's just what she needs. What any girl would want." She stared at him with a directness that unnerved him. His hand fluttered in a feeble gesture, as he tried to make her understand.

"Belle, if Zeus can return that which was lost - Bae - it could reverse everything, rendering the box inert."

"But you don't know that for sure," Belle pointed out. "You told me yourself that prophecy can be a tricky thing. You're wagering you've picked the right course."

"And I'm known for the strength of my wagers," he pointed out. "We can bring Bae back, and end this curse."

"Because you think he's last hero that we lost," Belle said, shaking her head. "But you're wrong, Rumple. The Snow Queen died saving us all."

Rumple went very still. "From a curse of her own making," he said. "I'm not sure that qualifies her for a hero's afterlife."

"And I'm equally sure that it does," Belle replied. "And I've been reading everything I can get my hands on regarding Pandora's story." She paused a moment. "It's stopped. The tremors."

"For now," Gold replied. "But it's only a matter of time before she loses control again."

"Not if she has the one thing that was left when the box was emptied of troubles," Belle said. "Hope. It's what's reversed the effects of the curse for all of us. Hope is a powerful thing - why do you think Dora named her child for it? She needs hope again - hope for a future, a life...love. And Archie can give her that. We can all give her that. She just have to believe that she deserves it."

"That's not going to stop Zeus," Gold pointed out. "And as long as he's here, he'll be provoking her, reinforcing the need for her to leave before she destroys us all."

"Killian has a plan that might work, but we need something more," she said, chewing her lip.

Gold couldn't help his sneer. "The pirate has a plan?"

"Most of one. If Zeus gets his hands on that box, he'll use it and Dora to come after the dagger. You know that. All he has to do is provoke her enough to bring a tornado or a building collapse to destroy the church, and then you and I are both in a very bad situation."

Gold's hand clenched and he closed his eyes, letting that thought sink in. "I only want you safe, Belle. You and Henry are all that I have."

"Then help us. Show me the man, Rumple, and not the beast. We need to find a way to send Zeus back to where he came from - without a box or a dagger."

"Yes," Gold said, nodding. "Yes, that's it. You need to send me back to my shop. Quickly, Belle."

"You have something to defeat him?"

"We need something Zeus is truly afraid of," he explained. "Send me to the shop, and then call Regina and have her meet me there."

###

Zeus flicked a casual hand over his shoulder, stopping Emma and David in their tracks.

"Another lover?" he asked sardonically.

Emma made a face. "Eww. This is my _father_."

"Oh. Sorry." He turned back to the cabin, placing a glowing coal on the ground and then waving his hand over it. The coal glowed red, and the protection spell around the cabin began to shimmer.

"It's only a matter of time, you know," he said. "The fire of Olympus will open a portal, even through your spell." He stepped closer to Emma, who stood frozen and unable to move. "I can think of several ways we can pass the time," he said huskily, running his fingers along her cheek.

"Get away from her!" David shouted, struggling impotently against his invisible bonds.

"It's okay, Dad," Emma said, smiling up at Zeus. "I got this one." And then she pulled her arm free and punched him as hard as she could in the face. It was like punching a rock, and she immediately shook out her hand as she stepped free of the Zeus's power hold.

"Touch me again, and you'll get more of that," she promised, still shaking her hand.

"You did more damage to yourself than to me," Zeus replied, pointing down at her bloody knuckles.

"Maybe, but the next one will have some magic behind it," she threatened.

"No matter." Zeus gave a negligent shrug. "You've done me a favor, after all."

"Come again?"

Zeus carefully ran his finger along his own undamaged jaw, and it came up red. "I needed this," he said, putting his finger to the shimmering boundary of the spell, then pushing the rest of his hand through.

"Blood magic. Not terribly effective if you paint your opponent with your own blood." He gave her a smug smile and opened the door to the cabin.

And he was promptly thrown back into the dirt by a pulse from Emma's hands. He looked up at her in surprise.

And a heartbeat later he was behind Emma, wrapping a powerful arm around her and pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled as David shouted again, still frozen in place, and Zeus crooned low in her ear.

"We don't have to be opponents, you know," he murmured. "We could be so much more, you and I. Let me show you-" he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, and a moment later a fist connected with his jaw yet again.

He released his hold on Emma with a sigh and a shake of his head as he watched Killian flexing his hand.

"Mortals," he said, with a good deal of scorn. "I thought I'd taken care of you." He waved a negligent hand again and to his surprise, Killian stood unharmed, smiling a devilish grin.

"You'll have to do better than that, mate. Perhaps you're getting rusty?"

Zeus's countenance darkened and the threw his arm out, sending powerful lightening bolts straight at Killian - only to watch them bounce harmlessly off.

"Definitely losing your touch," Killian taunted, walking over to Emma. "And I don't take kindly to anyone trying to poach on my territory."

"Territory?" Emma looked at him incredulously. "Did you really just call me _territory_?"

"It's just a phrase, love," he said, reaching out to take her hand. She pulled it back.

"I am nobody's territory," she said firmly. Killian gave her an eyeroll and reached for her hand again, holding her firmly this time.

"You can rail at me later, Swan," he said, sliding a wooden cuff around her wrist.

"I would never treat you that way," Zeus said. "I recognized your value from the moment I saw you."

"You can just stow it," Emma answered, with a deadpan face. "I have more important things to do that bathe in testosterone at the moment." She looked over at Killian who'd just drop some kind of pendant over David's head. "What are you doing?"

David stumbled forward and Killian steadied him.

"I'm taking care of a few loose ends," Killian said. "Now...where were we?"

"How did you get me free?" David asked, holding up the pendant. "Is it enchanted?"

"You dabble in enchanted amulets thinking they'll protect you?" Zeus smirked. "I have no time to pull you apart and scatter you on the wind right now. But I will - and soon. Your magic is not powerful enough to stand against me."

He turned and strode into the cabin, and once again, Emma threw a blast that pulled him back. He whirled, reaching out to touch her again only to find his hand blocked just short of his goal. He tried again, but like an invisible wall, he was blocked once more.

Killian held up his wrist. "Sorry mate, but she's off limits - as are the rest of us now. They're made of olive wood."

Zeus sucked in a breath, and his face reddened with anger. Emma looked at Killian quizzically.

"Olive?" she asked.

"It's sacred to Zeus," Killian went on. "Like the church, it's a barrier he can't cross."

"That's brilliant!" David exclaimed, holding his pendant up.

Killian shot him a disgruntled look. "Why the tone of surprise?"

"Zeus." Dora's semi-whisper brought their eyes to the doorway.

"Dora." He strode forward as the ground began to tremble again.

"Don't let him do this," Archie said from behind her. "You can control this."

"No she can't," Zeus replied coldly. "She knows it as well as I do. The box cannot be controlled when she is near it."

"So we send the box away," Emma said. "Not with you, but away. And everything goes back to normal."

"It doesn't work that way," Zeus said, keeping his eyes on Dora. "Now that she's found it again, it's brought the box back to life. You cannot simply shut it down. Remove her, and it only gets worse."

"I don't believe that," Archie said.

"Archie..." Dora shook her head slightly, as if warning him away.

"It doesn't matter what you believe," Zeus said, as the sky began to darken around them and the wind began to bend the trees. "The power of the box - and of Pandora - will not be denied. Or contained. Except by those who command such power themselves."

The ground shook hard, sending everyone staggering, and Dora stood in the doorway, tears streaking down her face. "Archie!" she cried. "You have to go!"

"No!"

"I can't control it!"

"You have to try!" Emma shouted to be heard above the howling of the wind, and she ducked suddenly as pieces of the cabin began to detach, flying off.

"Olive wood won't protect you now," Zeus laughed. "Your bodies are mortal. When the trees begin to fall and the lightening strikes the ground, you will not survive it. And I will have what I seek." He turned back to Dora. "It is time to do the right thing," he said. "Save them all, Pandora. Or destroy them. I'm not really averse to either outcome."

She held the doorframe with her hands, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip. The cabin shuddered, and part of the roof collapsed behind her, sending Archie tumbling to the ground.

"No!" The scream tore from her throat as thunder clapped loudly, and the wind became a vortex, uprooting trees and sending Killian, Emma and David diving for cover behind a nearby boulder.

"Death for them all, Pandora," Zeus said, as the branches and pieces of cabin bounced harmlessly off his skin. "You can end this. Bring me the box, and come with me."

"Dora, don't listen to him!" David shouted.

But it was too late - Dora turned, walking back into what remained of the cabin, stopping and watching as the floorboards flew apart, revealing the box. She knelt down, wrapping her fingers around it, then she rose to her feet, and walked back out the door toward Zeus, extending the box in her hand.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello readers! Just a quick note to share my news! The **Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards** reached out to let me know that I have been nominated in the category of **Favorite Romance Fanfic** for "These Dreams!" I adored that fic, and I hope you liked it too, because its sequel is on the way, with new and interesting scenarios and even a return of everyone's favorite endearingly awkward, goat-milk drinking deckhand. Just you wait..._
> 
> _But first, we need to bring things to a close here. What's going to happen next?_

"No!" Emma pulled herself up, and narrowly missed being hit by a piece of flying debris.

"Emma!" Killian shouted, pulling her back behind the shelter of a fallen tree trunk nearby.

"Dora!" David called out, "Don't do it! We can help you!"

Her tortured eyes slid to meet his. "I can't let anyone else be hurt," she said. Then her eyes turned to Zeus. "But I won't be used as a weapon, either."

Zeus forced a placating smile. "Now Pandora..."

The wind picked up more forcefully, howling through the trees and a bolt of lightening crashed to the ground next to him.

"Don't call me that!" She seethed. "You gave me that name! You all made me who I am. _What_ I am. Your _gifts_ have made my life a living hell."

"Give me the box," Zeus said calmly, holding out his hand.

"No! I'll see myself into it first!"

Zeus eyes snapped wide and he rushed forward a step, holding his hands up as if to stop her. "You can't do that! You're too powerful. It'll destroy you both."

"Then so be it! The realms are well rid of us both!"

"No!" This time the cry came from Archie, who stumbled through the doorway, winding his arms around her from behind. He held her tight. "If you go, I go!"

"Archie!"

"You don't need to do this!" She cried.

"Get away from her." Zeus thundered, and his voice echoed loudly, as the sounds around them seemed to dim.

David stood cautiously. "It's calming down." He looked over at Dora. "It's calming down, Dora. You're controlling it."

"But for how long?" Zeus said, waving a hand in her direction. "She's right - the least little thing could set her off. How many of you will she harm - or kill - as she tries to keep such a power under control? Forces such as these, this depth of darkness...it will consume her. It always does."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Regina smirked from behind him, having just appeared. "While I wouldn't say it was easy, it can be done. Darkness can be overcome."

"Or at the very least, incorporated into your life in a relatively peaceful manner," Gold agreed, appearing next to her, and looking down at Belle, who'd popped in at his side. "Most of the time, anyway," he added.

The wind was winding down now, and the ground gave a few slight tremors as Dora leaned back into Archie, turning her face into his chest. She clutched the box tightly to her.

"You're finished with your errand?" Gold asked Regina.

"Home decor is a specialty of mine," she responded demurely. "I have a real flair."

"Never doubted it," Gold replied.

"Can we just get on with this?" Emma asked. She turned to look at Zeus. "You! You're not getting the box, you're _never_ getting the dagger, and she's not going with you."

"That's far from a complete list of my objectives," Zeus replied, looking amused.

"Well, you can put me on the 'never' list along with everything else," Emma said.

Suddenly, Killian stood up from behind the fallen tree, gesturing emphatically and obviously angry.

"There's no need to play coy," he said to Emma. "I found your diary."

She turned and looked at him like he'd just grown a second nose. In the middle of his forehead.

"My _what_?"

"You heard me!" He put his fist on his hip, raising a brow and staring her down. "You play hard-to-get but your diary makes it clear that you've been pining for him from the moment you met him. I suppose you think to toy with us both, have us compete for your affections!"

"Killian...?" She looked at him oddly, not really sure what the hell was going on. Her eyes shifted to David, who gave her a slight shrug and then his eyes shifted to Killian, who turned slightly away and gave him a look that clearly said _Go with it_.

"He's right, Emma," David said in an overly-loud voice. "And maybe it's time we stop holding you back."

"Huh?" Okay, now she really was going nuts.

"You always were too powerful for this town," David said.

"And of course, power is what she's attracted to," Killian added scathingly. "She's always been that way - flaunting her powers and lording them over us all." He glanced over at Regina who raised both brows in a look that clearly said he was milking it a bit too hard.

"Miss Swan is the product of True Love," Gold reminded them. "A savior such as this cannot possibly be anything but bored in a place like Storybrooke."

"You need to make a choice, Swan," Killian said emphatically. "I won't be cuckolded by the likes of him!" He pointed a finger at Zeus, who was watching all of this with extreme amusement.

"Did you really write about me in your diary?" Zeus asked, stepping closer to Emma.

Her eyes shifted to Killian, then to David, then to Regina, who took in a breath and smiled a little too widely.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I did," Emma nodded. "And how...embarrassing for you to bring that up, Killian. I'm really mad at you now."

Zeus reached out, taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. "You could come with me, Emma. I can show you wonders you will never tire of. I can teach you how to nurture and use your gifts."

"What about the box?" she asked.

Zeus looked perturbed. "I'll agree to leave it...for now. I'm sure I can find other forms of...amusement."

"I..." Emma looked over at David, then at Killian. "I think that sounds like it might be interesting." She turned to Killian. "I suppose this is goodbye?" She raised her brows, crinkling her forehead, silently begging for a little more guidance, here.

"It is," he said firmly. "Go on. _Get out of town_." He put a tremendous amount of menace into that last sentence, so much so that it took her aback.

"Why don't you meet us at the town line," David said, eyeing Killian carefully. "Your mother will want to say goodbye."

Dora raised her head, looking across at Emma.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "Zeus is not known for his constancy."

"Neither is she," Killian interjected, clearly trying to get them back on track. Emma shot him a look that promised retribution.

"I've yet to meet a woman who has an ounce of your spirit," Zeus said softly, leaning in to murmur in Emma's ear. She shivered a bit at the feel his warm breath, and he smiled, catlike, stroking the backs of his fingers along her neck.

"Well, that's it then," she said, stepping away and dusting off her hands as though she were finished with them all. "I'll meet you at the town line in ten minutes." She turned to Zeus. "You ready?"

"I've been ready for you since we met."

Behind him, Killian started forward and David grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He settled for rolling his eyes instead.

"Let's go," Emma said, taking off at a brisk walk.

"I can take us there faster," Zeus said. "Would you like to fly, my sweet Emma? I can transform you into anything you wish. You can be an eagle, soar upon the wind..."

"You can make me an eagle?" Emma stopped and stared up at him. Then she shook herself mentally. "No, we'll take my car. It gives me a chance to take one last look around."

"As you wish," Zeus capitulated, following close behind her.

"Shall we see Miss Swan off?" Gold asked, extending his arm to Belle.

"You go ahead," she said, staring at Dora thoughtfully. "I have a feeling about something."

Gold glanced over at Dora warily. "Be careful."

"She has it under control, Rumple. I believe in her."

"And I'm not surprised that you do," he replied. He turned to Regina. "You're not going to walk are you?"

"In these heels?" Regina smirked. "Not likely. You take Charming and I'll take Hook and pick up Snow. We'll leave Henry with the baby."

David stepped closer to Gold and gave him nod. A moment later they vanished, reappearing at the Town Line. It was only a few minutes after that when Regina, Snow and Killian appeared - and Killian had a bottle in his hand.

"Rum?" David asked. "You planning on toasting their health?"

"Something like that," Killian said, tucking the bottle inside his jacket. "I thought I was going to have to resort to scratching out clues in the dirt, or perhaps perform an interpretive dance. The two of you aren't terribly perceptive."

"I caught on soon enough," David said. "I'm guessing there's a plan in place?"

"Just play along, mate." Killian smiled.

Gold turned to Regina. "Impressive. I can barely see it through that low hanging bough over there."

"I told you, I have a flair," she said. "It's all in the staging."

"Can someone give me a rundown of what's going on?" Snow asked. "Killian shows up and raids my cabinet and Regina's talking interior decorating."

"It's quite a marvelous plan, if I do say so myself," Killian began, but he was interrupted by the sound of Emma's bug approaching. "Best left for later, I'm afraid. For now, we just need to get him across that line."

Killian wandered off the left of the road, his eyes on the ground. Then he turned casually, as if getting out of the way of the oncoming car, and strolled across to the other side, still glancing down. He stopped just off the shoulder and crossed his arms, pasting a belligerent look on his face.

"Okay," Emma called out. "I'm here. To say goodbye. So...let's do that."

"You don't want to say goodbye to your son?" Zeus asked.

Emma's eyes widened, catching Killian's, then Snow's. Her mother came to her rescue.

"He's home sick."

"Yeah, he hasn't been feeling well," Emma ad-libbed. "And I'm not going to be gone forever. I mean, I can come back and visit, right?"

Zeus gave a negligent shrug. "If you wish."

"So...Regina - tell Henry goodbye for me and I'll see him soon." She hugged her mother, then her father. "I'll see you guys then, too." Her gaze went to Killian.

"No hug for me, Swan?" he asked, raising a brow. "After all we've shared?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Zeus, who gave Killian a purely taunting grin, and she stepped over, wrapping her arms around Killian.

"Take this," he murmured low in her ear as he pressed the bottle inside her jacket. She pulled back, clamping her arm down on that side. Killian's eyes shifted right, then down, and hers followed their track before she turned, extending a hand to Zeus.

"Let's go." She gave him a smile and he strolled over, taking her hand and twining his fingers with hers before pulling it up to his lips. Killian gave a low growl behind her and Emma forced herself to keep that smile in place.

"Goodbye everyone!" she called out, stepping over the town line and tugging Zeus along behind her. They took a few more steps and she stopped, pulling her hand from his. "You know what?" she said. "I think I probably should say goodbye to Henry in person. I'll just be a minute."

"Oh, no you don't -" Zeus reached for her, but Emma was too fast. She was back over the line and pouring the contents of the bottle out in a thin stream, which joined the line that Killian had just laid, shimmering and glowing when it hit, sending a wall of glimmering blue straight up before settling down.

"What have you done?" Zeus thundered.

"Olive oil," Killian said with a smile. Leroy and the other dwarves emerged from the trees behind him. "My friends here have been busy, surrounding the town with it."

"Granny had a few gallons," Leroy said. "Blue and the fairies were able to use a replicator spell on it."

"And with Emma's magic reinforcing it, you can't come back in," Regina said with a smile. "So why don't you run on home?"

Zeus's rage was so evident, he was nearly apoplectic with it. The sky darkened and thunder began to roll.

"You cannot stay in there forever," he seethed. "I am immortal. I have all of eternity and all the power of the gods behind me. I will prevail."

"Unless you have other plans for the evening," Gold said with a tight smile. "Regina?"

She gave him a smile of acknowledgement, then waved her hand. Behind Zeus, just a little off the roadway, a flame flared. Zeus turned to look at it, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of the candle, sitting on the small table with a leather covering, decorated with peacock feathers.

"No," he ground out. "Not her."

But it was too late. A crack of lightening hit the ground, lighting up the sky and blinding everyone momentarily.

"Zeus!" A shrill, harpy-like voice rang out as the spots cleared from everyone's eyes.

He turned slowly, a pained expression on his face. "Hera," he said, with a good deal of resignation.

"Where have you been?" she scolded. "Did you think you could hide from me here?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked down her long, pointed nose at him.

"I'm not hiding. I was merely retrieving some lost property." His eyes shifted to the group gathered on the other side of the town line and if steam could have curled out of his ears, it would have done so.

Emma smiled back, and Killian gave a friendly wave. Zeus ground his teeth together.

Hera's eyes wandered over to Emma and she stepped forward, grabbing Zeus by the ear.

"This is why you were here? Another mortal?" she screeched.

"Ow!" he swatted her hand away. "I hate it when you do that!"

"Home!" She spat. " _Now_."

"But Hera - hear me out-"

"NOW!"

"Yes, dear," he grumbled. And a moment later, they winked out. Regina stepped across the line and blew the candle out, gathering the peacock fronds and handing them back to Gold.

"These are yours," she said. "Smart thinking, calling in the big guns."

"Yes, the little Mrs. seems to have things well in hand," Gold replied. "And now, if you'll excuse me..." He waved his hand and he was gone.

Emma slipped an arm around Killian, looking up at him with a smile. "Dad was right. You're brilliant."

"I can't claim all the glory," he said modestly. "Belle pointed me in the right direction with her books."

"I don't think he'll be back," David said.

"With Hera watching his every move?" Regina snorted inelegantly. "Not likely."

"And now we just have to figure out what to do about Dora," Emma said. "I hate to say it, but Zeus was right. It's only a matter of time before something sets her off again."

"We should take the box. Maybe if we move it outside Storybrooke?" Snow suggested.

"And risk Zeus getting ahold of it out in the real world?" Emma shook her head. "No, we have to figure out another way." She looked up at Killian. "Any other brilliant ideas?"

"Give me a moment, I'm sure I'll come up with something." Killian gave her a crooked grin as they walked back toward the car. "He should have known better than to try to outwit a pirate."

"He should have known better than to try to outsmart a woman," Regina said dryly.

**********

_Stay tuned...the story's not over yet! We've got a little more to resolve, and a steamy, fluffy ending to wrap it all up._


	31. Hope

"He's gone," Emma said as Archie opened the door, letting them all into the cabin.

"Gone?" Archie turned and faced an astonished Dora.

"Gone?" Dora repeated. "How?"

"It worked, then?" Belle asked. "The olive oil?"

"Astonishingly, yes," Gold replied. "It appears your guidance saved the day."

Killian opened his mouth to respond and Emma put a hand on his arm, shaking her head as if to say "Don't bother." He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"He's not coming back, either," Emma said.

"Hera looked pretty steamed," Regina agreed.

"Hera was here?" Dora blanched, and the ground started to shake.

"And gone," Emma said. "You're safe now, Dora."

Dora hastily set the box on a nearby table, shaking her head as the rumbling continued.

"No, I'm not. And neither are any of you," she said. "Zeus was right. I'm dangerous. As long as I'm near the box, I'm dangerous."

"We don't believe that," Snow said.

"No, we don't," David agreed.

"The curse is dangerous," Archie pointed out. "But not you."

"I _am_ the curse," Dora replied. "Can't you see that? I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's just...hopeless."

"That's it. That's what you need," Belle said. "You need to have Hope."

Dora closed her eyes and Archie put his arm around her, pulling her close. Her face was a mask of pain. "I've tried. I really have."

"No, I think you need to have Hope," Belle repeated. "Your daughter."

"Belle..." Archie gave her a warning look over the top of Dora's head.

"Listen to me," Belle said. "I've been studying all the ancient myths, and the prophecy from the Oracles at Delphi. Zeus told you that your power and the power of the box would destroy you both because you're both too powerful. What if you could use that power - that magic, to find your daughter?"

"Return the lost," Snow said, nodding slowly. "It's possible it could lead you to Hope - or maybe one of her descendants."

Dora's face was wary, but she couldn't keep the yearning for that possibility out of her eyes. "Do you think so?"

"It's worth a try," Emma encouraged.

"What do I do?" Dora looked unsure.

"Try picking up the box, and instead of thinking of fear or pain or anger, think about Hope," Belle said. "Think about how much you loved her."

"Maybe you could try to call her name," Regina suggested.

Dora looked at Archie, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Go on," he said. "I'll be right here at your side."

She reached out hesitantly for the box, and a slight tremor shook the floor.

"Think of love, Dora," Archie reminded her.

"Remember all the wonderful things you told me about Hope?" Snow said. "She sounds like she was beautiful."

"She was," Dora said, smiling. "She was such a good child. Always happy. And the way her eyes lit up..." Dora's fingers closed around the box, and the room went deathly still and quiet as she brought it up to her face.

"Hope," she whispered. "I miss you so. Please, little one...I need you."

A glow began around the box and it built with a force that was blinding, white-hot and ricocheting off the walls as the box opened, and then a whirl of wind and a shower of light as a baby's cry broke the air.

When the light died down, Archie held the box, and Dora was holding her baby.

"Hope!" Snow's voice was ecstatic. "She was in the box all along!"

"Hello, little one," Dora said, with tears flowing freely down her face. She turned to Archie. "She's as beautiful as I remembered."

"Like her mother," he smiled.

"I had a feeling," Belle said, smiling from ear-to-ear. "All the legends say that once the troubles were released, the only thing left in the box was hope. We just needed to realize that they meant it literally."

"Why didn't she come out when we released you from the box? Or Henry?" David asked.

"You didn't call her," Gold answered. "The prophecy needed you to be specific."

"Does this mean the curse is broken?" Killian asked.

Dora cast a fearful eye at the box, and it rocked slightly, then the floor trembled again, though not as forcefully as before. "I don't think I'll ever be free of it," Dora said. "But with Hope - and Archie - I can manage. I know I can." She looked up at Archie, pulling Hope in closer and nuzzling the soft down on top of the baby's head.

"She must be hungry," Archie said. "Maybe we should find her something to eat?"

"Yes," Dora agreed. "Come little one," she cooed to Hope. "I have so much to tell you!"

And with that, Archie escorted her out the door. Snow wrapped an arm around David, watching them go.

"What a beautiful family," she sighed.

"It's about time Archie got his happily ever after," David said, with a satisfied smile.

"Add another one into that column on the town ledger," Killian replied. "I suppose we're all finished, then?"

"Not quite." Emma's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I have another happy ending to work on."

"My thoughts, precisely," Killian said, raising a brow and giving her a wolfish grin.

"Hold that thought," she smirked. "Regina? What happens when two incredibly powerful objects intersect each other?"

Regina's eyes widened. "Total destruction of both - and it's not going to be pretty. Why?"

Emma looked at Belle. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

Now it's was Belle's eyes that widened. Gold took a step forward, raising an alarmed hand. "Now, Miss Swan, let's not be hasty..."

But Belle had already drawn the dagger from her purse. "Dark One," she said. "I command you to take everyone but Emma to the other side of town upon the count of three." She gave Emma a cautious smile. "Are you sure you'll be safe?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "I don't know how I know, but I do."

Belle carefully handed over the dagger and Gold shook his head, silently pleading with his eyes.

"I'm staying with you." Killian's voice brooked no argument. She leaned in, giving him a kiss.

"Now, Belle."

"One, two, thr-" They were gone as Killian's "Emma!" echoed in the cabin.

The dagger began to glow, as if sensing the proximity to the box. She waved it over the top, and the box opened, light swirling out of it, growing in intensity. She could feel it, greedy and lapping at her, and before it could sway her, she took a breath and drove the dagger down into the box with all her might.

###

"I think she's coming around," a hushed voice - David? - said.

"Emma?" Snow's voice was worried. "Emma, honey..."

"Mom?" From Henry

"Emma." Killian's voice was quiet, more like a plea.

She opened her eyes, looking up at them. "What the hell are you all doing here?" She sat up, glancing around at the apartment. "What am _I_ doing here?"

"We found you in the woods," Snow said quietly. "You were thrown when the cabin exploded."

"The cabin _exploded_?"

"There's nothing left but a smoking crater," David said.

"Let's get you lying back down," Killian said, putting a hand to her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Emma reassured him. "Seriously. I feel just fine."

"There wasn't a scratch on you," Snow told her. "And Dr. Whale said you had no internal injuries. You were just unconscious."

"How long?"

"Six hours," David said. "We were starting to get worried."

"And Dora?"

Snow's smile was wide and unrestrained. "The curse is broken. And the box and dagger are gone. Gold says he's finally free, and he wanted me to thank you...begrudgingly."

"I guess he's mourning the loss of all that power," David said.

"And the darkness," Killian replied. "When you've only known the darkness for centuries, it's hard to let it go. Having someone who believes in you makes it easier."

"Like Archie. Or Belle." Snow said, still smiling. Emma met Killian's eyes, knowing full well it wasn't them he was talking about.

"And who knows?" Snow went on. "Maybe someday Hope and Neal can go to their first ball together."

"That would be Prom here," Emma said.

"A child born of true love and a demi-goddess?" Henry raised his brows.

"Knowing this town, it'll turn out she's a relation, anyway," Killian pointed out dryly.

"Any chance of getting something to eat?" Emma asked, swinging her legs over the side of the couch. "I'm starving."

"We could head down to Granny's," David suggested. "Archie's throwing a 'Welcome to Storybrooke' party for Dora and Hope - so the town can get to know them."

"I could go for a plate of fries," Emma said. "Why don't you go on ahead? I'm gonna grab a shower and then I'll meet you down there."

"I'll wait with you," Killian offered. Henry rolled his eyes and David shook his head. He wasn't fooling anyone. A few moments later, they were all out the door.

"If you need some help washing your back, I'd be more than happy to assist," Killian called out as Emma headed for the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder with a smirk.

"Why the hell do you think I told them all to go on ahead?" she asked.

He was in motion before she'd finished her sentence, and for a man with only one hand, he managed to get them both out of their clothing in a remarkably short period of time.

"You don't really need a shower," he said, burying his face in her neck. "You smell perfectly acceptable."

"It was just an excuse. I feel like we haven't gotten much alone time lately."

He pulled back. "Are you sure you're all right? You had me nearly mad with worry."

She leaned in and kissed him lightly. "I'm fine, Killian. You don't have to worry so much over me. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, Swan," he said. "But when you love someone, it's not exactly a choice."

Emma went very still, and her eyes were wide. "Killian..."

He quirked a brow. "Now I've done it. You've made me say it out loud. I suppose you'll hold me to it now."

"You love me?"

"You doubt it?" He looked at her incredulously.

She looked at him a long moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't doubt it. I haven't felt this sure about anything in a long, long time."

"And?" He waited expectantly, with a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"And I'm standing here naked," she pointed out. "Is this really the time for conversation?"

His grin told her he saw through her machinations, but he pulled her into him, kissing her until she was breathless, and the feel of his body made her want to climb inside him, like she could never be close enough. And when he laid her down and worshipped her with his hands, his mouth, and the press and slide and roll of his body against her and within her, she lost herself to it, reveling in it until it built to the point where she had to answer him.

She reached up, holding his face and somehow found the strength to stop her movements, going still beneath him. He felt the change immediately, and his eyes moved to hers in silent question.

"Killian," she breathed. "I love you. With everything I've got...I love you."

His eyes brightened until they were burning, and he buried his lips on hers hungrily as his body moved on her, pulling her with him as they both shattered, broke apart, and came together again.

Emma made a satisfied sound as Killian gathered her close, rolling on his side to face her.

"You know," he said casually, "As far as interrogation techniques go, this was especially effective."

She rearranged her mussy hair on the pillow and smiled at him. "You certainly wore me down."

"Well, we're going to have to move eventually. Your parents are expecting you down at Granny's."

Emma groaned. "All right," she capitulated. "But I get the shower first."

"I could join you - it'd be faster."

"No, it wouldn't," she smirked. "And you know it."

"Then I shall recline here in sated repose and await your further ministrations." He rolled on his back, folded his hands behind his head and gave her a cheeky grin.

She leaned over and kissed him.

"I do love the way you use that mouth," she murmured.

"And I love to hear you say that word. Love."

"It comes a lot easier these days," she admitted, reaching up to push a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Thanks to Henry, and my parents...and you. It just goes to show you that no matter how bad you think your life is, there's always hope."

He reached up, pulling her down against him.

"As long as you've someone to love, there's always hope," he said. "And you and I - we'll always find a way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you for taking another journey with me, readers! And now you'll have to excuse me for a few days as I hash out a couple of other projects. Next week - June 10th to be specific - look for my sequel to one of my favorite fanfics, "These Dreams!" This one is going to be epic! If you like my work, don't forget to check out my author blog (link in my profile) for info on my published works, upcoming projects, and teasers of things to come!**


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